Guntur Medical College to get modern facilities

Guntur: The oldest government medical college of Andhra Pradesh, Guntur Medical College (GMC), started way back in 1946, would be modernised soon so as to become the main government medical college of Navyandhra. There are 150 medical seats available in GMC and the Medical Council of India has given permission to increase the number to 200.

The AP State Medical Education Directorate has proposed to modernise GMC with Rs 300 crore funds and has further proposed increasing of MBBS seats to 250.

Buildings housing various departments like biochemistry, physiology, laboratory, library and others are old and damaged. Those would be replaced with ultramodern multi-storied buildings and further all basic amenities would be provided under the modernisation programme.

The GMC was constructed in a spacious land near the Government General Hospital (GGH) and Guntur railway station in the year 1946 with 50 MBBS seats due to the efforts of freedom fighter Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu who later became first Chief Minister of AP state.

There are 32 super specialty and specialty departments in GMC. The college is known to have churned out world famous doctors. Nearly 2,000 doctors from GMC are working in US and another 400 in the UK.

Medical student K. Lakshmi said that GMC Alumni of North America (GMCANA) helped modernise the seminar and meeting halls. Dr G. S. Kumar said that famous cardiothoracic surgeon Dr A. G. Gokhale, Dr Somaraju and others are GMC alumni. He added that the proposed modernisation would make GMC the main medical college of Navyandhra. He said that he hoped MBBS seats would increase to 250 in future.