Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday laid the foundation stone of the Medical College and Hospital to be built on 30 acres of land in Sector-32, Panchkula at a cost of Rs 800 crore. While interacting with media persons, the Chief Minister informed that the new Medical College and Hospital to be constructed by Haryana Shahri Vikas Pradhikarn (HSVP) would be named after Dr. Mangal Sen. The initial phase will involve an expenditure of Rs 500 crore, with an anticipated additional expenditure of Rs 300 crore. The entire project is slated to be completed within 30 months. It will have 100 MBBS seats.
The Chief Minister said, “After assuming office in 2014, we announced to establish a Medical College and Hospital in each district of the state. Except two districts of Charkhi Dadri and Palwal, Medical College and Hospitals have been established in every district. Out of which 15 had already been commissioned including 6 government, 1 aided and 8 private. The process is underway for the commissioning of medical colleges in the remaining district.”
Responding to a query, the Chief Minister stated that in 2014, the state had 6 medical colleges. This count increased to 12 between 2014 and 2019, further reaching 15 from 2019 to the present. With the completion of all, the medical college count will rise to 29 in the future. Upon the completion of all medical colleges, the total number of MBBS seats in the state will reach 3500, he added.
Highlighting the importance of healthcare professionals, Khattar expressed confidence that the state will get 3500 doctors annually. Additionally, the number of PG seats is set to rise from 851 to 1200, addressing the need for specialized doctors. He said that Para-medical colleges and Physiotherapy colleges will also be set up within these medical colleges. This comprehensive approach aims to eliminate shortages of both general and specialized medical professionals in the state.
He said certain African countries, including Uganda, have expressed interest in forging agreements with Haryana and sending their students to Haryana for MBBS courses, adding that Uganda has a population similar to Haryana but the country only has two medical colleges.