Gujarat: Gujarat to get 8 new medical colleges, under its Health policy 2016

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Government's expansion plans for healthcare services to remote rural areas under its 'Health Policy 2016' involves setting up of three Greenfield Medical Colleges and five others to be attached to the civil hospitals in remote districts.

Hospitals at Tapi, Banaskantha, Dahod, Bharuch, Amreli,and Panchmahal districts will be expanded to become medical colleges. The Greenfield college locations are yet to be decided.

A state government statement said that private organizations have been called in to set up colleges at the civil hospital premises at Bharuch, Dahod, Banaskantha, Panchmahal, Amreli, and Tapi districts.

50% land subsidy will be granted to these organizations by the state government for setting up of colleges. Rs.7.50 lakh per student is to be granted as financial aid, every year for the five years of study, by the state government. A 50% discount on market price is to be offered to organizations coming forward to purchase land to develop new medical colleges.Rs.15 lakh is to be given per student per year for five years to set up new medical colleges. The electricity bills of these new colleges will also call for reimbursements for the first five years.

An interesting condition of the new health policy is that 75% of the seats at these colleges are to be consumed by the state government, reports TOI.

A meeting on Tuesday, presided over by the Chief Minister, Vijay Rupani decided upon the setting up of new medical colleges in remote areas.

According to a government release, cooperative and pharmaceutical sectors have shown interest in setting up medical colleges in tribal and remote areas of Gujarat.