Number of MBBS seats in UP doubled, 17 new medical colleges opened: CM Yogi

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said medical education in the state is being strengthened as the number of MBBS seats have doubled and 17 new medical colleges have been opened this year.

He emphasised the remarkable transformation in healthcare in Uttar Pradesh, recalling how the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur, which was once called an bimaar' (ill) state, today gives a healthy competition to the prestigious AIIMS Gorakhpur.

Addressing a gathering during the inauguration programme of KMC Medical College (PPP) in Maharajganj district, he mentioned that when he took charge of the office in 2017, the state lacked sufficient funds even for salaries, yet through teamwork and collective support, significant progress has been achieved.

The CM said to date, 5.14 crore underprivileged individuals in Uttar Pradesh have received the Ayushman Bharat Yojana golden card.

Adityanath said that with the establishment of AIIMS in Gorakhpur, medical colleges have started in Kushinagar, Deoria, Basti, Siddharthnagar, Gonda, Bahraich, Sultanpur, Ambedkarnagar, Ayodhya, Pratapgarh.

Uttar Pradesh once had only 18 medical colleges across the country but today healthcare institutions have been established in 64 districts, he said.

For the remaining 6-7 districts, medical colleges will be established with a new policy, Adityanath said. "We will fulfil the resolution of One District, One Medical College'."  Accusing the previous governments of "neglecting" and "overlooking" the Terai districts of the state, the chief minister asserted that today Maharajganj district is no longer sidelined.

Adityanath said, "Since independence, the Terai districts have faced continuous neglect, often overlooked by previous governments. Today, however, Maharajganj is no longer sidelined, as the district has received development projects valued at Rs 940 crore, representing a major stride forward."  Earlier, the condition of government facilities was very bad. There was no electricity, nor were the roads good. Sugar mills kept closing down, diseases like encephalitis used to swallow the youth here due to pollution in drinking water, there was the terror of malaria, he charged.

However, today encephalitis has ended forever in the eastern region. Now no innocent dies. Today Maharajganj is not neglected, he said.

"Ensuring good connectivity to these new medical colleges is a top priority for the government. Additionally, nursing and paramedical colleges are being developed across the state to strengthen the healthcare workforce," the CM said.

He also said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is becoming the economic power of the world.

PM Modi has made India the fifth largest economy of the world. This speed of development shows that India will be the third largest economy in the world in the next three years, he said.