Admissions in 5 new medical colleges from this academic year

Vijayawada (NTR District): Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) MT Krishna Babu informed that admissions in five new medical colleges - Machilipatnam, Vizianagaram, Rajahmundry, Eluru and Nandyala will commence from this academic year. All the pending and related works including inspections and NOCs are likely to be completed by March this year, he added.

The Principal Secretary inspected Government General Hospital in Vijayawada on Thursday along with DME Dr Vinod Kumar, Vijayawada Central MLA Malladi Vishnu and NTR District Collector S Dilli Rao. During the inspection, he interacted with patients and enquired about the medical services.

Speaking on the occasion, Krishna Babu revealed that the government has sanctioned 17 medical colleges in the state, of which five colleges will be started from 2023-24 academic year. He said the remaining colleges will start in a phased manner. Referring to the Vijayawada government hospital, Krishna Babu said that the average footfall of outpatients was 2,000 to 2,500 per day with 100 per cent bed occupancy. Daily an average of 65 to 70 surgeries are being done in Vijayawada GGH.

He said that Mission Smile, a registered medical charity, decided to provide free life changing surgeries to children, both with cleft lip and cleft palate deformities. He informed that Mission Smile has started in partnership with GGH-Vijayawada in 2016 and conducted three comprehensive medical treatments and performed more than 170 plus surgeries free of cost.