Harish Rao slams Centre for bias against TS

Hyderabad: Health Minister T Harish Rao on Monday said the painful situation of medical students in Ukraine was the result of negligence of the health sector by the Congress and TDP rulers, who did not bother to have enough medical colleges for the State students. The minister was replying to various questions on the number of medical colleges started after the formation of Telangana, raised by K Chander (TRS) and others. Rao said it was painful to see medical students suffering in war-hit Ukraine.

"They are made to study in countries like China and Ukraine without any knowledge of the language there. The real reasons for the sufferings were earlier rulers, charged Rao. He said with Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao deciding to have one medical college in a district, the medical students can have their studies in the State. He said before the formation of Telangana there were only three medical colleges in the State. He alleged that the Centre which gave 157 medical colleges in the country and provided Rs 200 crore to each, failed to give a single college for Telangana.

Speaking on the steps being taken up by the government, Rao said, after the State formation the government sanctioned 12 new medical colleges in Mahbubnagar, Siddipet, Sangareddy, Bhadradri-Kothagudem, Ramagundam, Suryapet, Nalgonda, Mahabubabad, Mancherial, Wanaparthy, Jagtial and Nagarkurnool.

The government also decided to establish new medical colleges and upgradation of attached hospitals at eight places during 2022 at Asifabad, Jangaon, Bhupalpally, Vikarabad, Sircilla, Kamareddy, Karimnagar, and Khammam. Four medical colleges were established and started functioning at Mahbubnagar, Siddipet, Suryapet and Nalgonda. The minister said in the remaining eight medical colleges admissions are proposed to start the academic year 2022-23. The National Medical Council (NMC) application process was over and infrastructure work was in progress.

He said that there were 1,640 UG medical seats and 934 PG seats (includes NIMS). There was only one super specialty hospital in the form of NIMS, but the government proposes to have these services in Warangal, and four places in Hyderabad city.