The newly sanctioned Government Medical College in the Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh has received permission from the National Medical Commission (NMC) to start the MBBS course. The course will start in the upcoming academic year 2023-24.
The new college is affiliated to the Dr NTR University of Health Sciences, Vijayawada. With NMC's approval, it becomes the first among 16 new medical colleges in the state to start MBBS admissions. The seats were sanctioned by the National Assessment and Rating Board (NARB), based on the assessor's report sent by the state officials, as per a report by The New Indian Express.
Andhra Pradesh Health, Medical and Family Welfare Minister Vidudala Rajini, via a press statement, said, "Government of Andhra Pradesh led by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has been setting up as many as 17 government medical colleges with Rs 8,500 crore in the state. We have been working to start at least five medical colleges in the coming academic year. As a part of this, NMC has given its nod to Government Medical College Vizianagaram with an annual intake of 150 MBBS seats. I hope we will get a nod for the remaining four colleges in the next couple of months."
The college at Vizianagaram was sanctioned on May 31, 2021. The Andhra Pradesh Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation (APSMIDC) has started its construction at Gajularega, which falls under Vizianagaram Municipal Corporation limits with an estimated cost of Rs 500 crore. Meanwhile, the district administration has developed the Maha Raja District Hospital as a temporary campus for the college.
Necessary buildings, along with an outpatient registration room, lecture gallery, operation theatres with modern technology, a 30-bedded NICU, SICU and ICU with an estimated cost of Rs 8.6 crore have been set up at the temporary campus. The Maharani Gosha Hospital has also been developed as a pregnant and children care unit for the new medical college.
The Andhra Pradesh Health and Family Welfare Department has completed the recruitment of the principal, professors, specialist doctors and other paramedical staff for the new college. And the district administration has changed the name of the Maha Raja District Hospital to Government General Hospital, Vizianagaram, in accordance with the NMC permissions.
District Collector A Suryakumari has also been monitoring the construction of the new college at Gajularega. Classrooms are being constructed at a cost of Rs 35 crore and the building aims to be completed before the commencement of the next academic year, which is 2024-25.
"The construction works of medical college is in full swing. We will complete the works by December 2024. We can start the classes in the temporary campus, which we will use for BSc Nursing later," Suryakumari said, as per TNIE.
