Karnataka needs more medical colleges to meet the demand for doctors and the government is willing to establish more in Public-Private Partnership (PPP), State Health and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar said on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters after inauguration of new building of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences and Research centre here by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, he said establishing a medical college requires Rs 600-700 crore.

"If it is built in the PPP model, it reduces the burden on state exchequer and also helps provide affordable medical education and treatment to the needy. This model is being adopted in Gujarat and the same will be implemented here as well," the Minister was quoted as saying by his office in a release. Noting that as per WHO guidelines there should be one doctor for 1000 population, Sudhakar said in India, there is a doctor for every 10-12 thousand population. Therefore, there is a necessity to increase the number of medical colleges in order to produce more number of doctors, he said.

The Narendra Modi government has added over 157 medical colleges in the last 6 years, he said, adding the Central government has a vision to set up 22 AIIMS across the country, one in each state. "We are committed to bring one AIIMS in our state too. The process of obtaining permission is already in progress and soon there will be an AIIMS functional in the state," he said. Sudhakar also said that there will be a new health and medical education policy in the state soon.