BRS Credits KCR for Telangana’s Expansion in Medical Education
Hyderabad: T Harish Rao, senior leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), has praised former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) for the significant expansion of medical education in Telangana. The state has recently achieved a milestone by becoming the only state in India to have a government medical college in each of its districts, following the National Medical Council’s (NMC) approval of four new medical colleges. This brings the total to 34 government medical colleges across Telangana.
Rao highlighted that this development reflects the BRS’s commitment to improving medical education and healthcare services in the state. He noted that before Telangana’s formation in 2014, the state had just five government medical colleges. Under KCR’s leadership, 29 new medical colleges have been established in nine years, significantly increasing the number of MBBS seats from 850 to 4,090. This expansion has enabled Telangana to produce over 10,000 doctors annually, with 22 MBBS seats per lakh population.
The former Health Minister emphasized that the state’s growth in medical education has reduced the need for students to travel abroad for their studies, positioning Telangana as a hub for aspiring medical professionals. Rao also pointed to various initiatives, such as the KCR nutrition kits, aimed at enhancing healthcare delivery.
Rao criticized the Congress government for its “negligence” in the establishment of medical colleges, noting that despite funds and land allocation by the previous KCR-led government, only four out of eight proposed colleges received NMC approval last month. He explained that the NMC had initially withheld approval due to infrastructure and faculty shortfalls, but following a belated appeal by the Congress government, the central government directed the NMC to approve the four colleges. Each college will offer 50 MBBS seats, adding 200 new seats for the academic year.
