Mamata takes initiative to establish 12 more medical colleges

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has taken initiatives to open 12 more medical colleges in the state by 2021. Of the 12, 10 would be run by the State Government and two on a PPP (public-private partnership) model. Eight of the Government-run medical colleges would be established in Diamond Harbour, Cooch Behar, Raiganj, Rampurhat, Purulia, Arambagh, Jalpaiguri and Contai, and the two to be run on PPP basis, in Kurseong and Bhangar, the official sources here today said. Admissions to the medical colleges in Diamond Harbour, Cooch Behar, Raiganj, Rampurhat and Purulia would start from 2019, and to the ones in Arambagh, Jalpaiguri, Kurseong and Bhangar from 2021. These new medical colleges would solve, among other issues, the two primary ones of patient-doctor ratio and specialist doctors. Currently, there are 18 medical and six dental colleges in the state. These 12 would bring up the number of colleges for medical education to 36. With the setting up of these 12, potentially, 1200 seats would be added to the state’s medical education system, bringing the total to almost 4,500. Currently, there are 3,250 seats, combining the medical and dental colleges.

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