Thane: A government postgraduate nursing college is set to begin operations in Maharashtra's Thane city, with classes to be held on the premises of the Regional Mental Hospital, health officials said on Friday.

Admissions for the inaugural batch have been completed, and regular academic classes are set to commence shortly, they said.

"For the public health department, nursing education is not merely an academic endeavour but the need of the hour. Our continuous effort is to make quality postgraduate nursing education and specialty courses accessible across more districts," said Dr Kailas Pawar, Deputy Director of Health Services (Mumbai Circle, Thane).

Developing a skilled and highly educated nursing workforce will directly strengthen Maharashtra's healthcare system, making it more capable, efficient, and patient-centric, he said.

Currently, the Thane district offers several nursing programmes, including General Nursing and Midwifery, Auxiliary Nurse Midwifery, Lady Health Visitor, and a Diploma in Psychiatric Nursing.

Officials said the district has also received approval for a B.Sc. Nursing course.

This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.