The Centre on Wednesday released Rs. 260 crore to the Jammu and Kashmir Health and Medical Education department for building five new medical colleges in the specific districts of the state. “With the latest release of funds by the Centre, the cumulative release of central share for these colleges at Anantnag, Baramulla, Doda, Kathua and Rajouri, till date has reached Rs. 765 crore”, Principal Secretary, Health and Medical Education, Atal Dulloo said.
He said the Union ministry of Health and Family Welfare has sanctioned Rs. 189 crore for each new medical colleges in the state, out of which Rs. 139 crore is for civil works and Rs. 50 crore for machinery and equipment.
“The civil works in all these medical colleges are at different levels of progress and have been expedited of late to put the requisite infrastructure in place at the earliest”, he said.
As per the Medical Council of India (MCI) guidelines, the department has initiated steps to provide infrastructure, equipment and human resource in these colleges to start the first batch of MBBS admissions next year.
Mr. Dulloo further said that with the completion of the new medical colleges, 500 MBBS students would be annually added to the overall capacity of the course in the state.