VIJAYAWADA: In a boost to medical education in the state, the AP government has decided to hike the number of seats in postgraduate medical courses by 746 in the present year, in addition to the 207 seats already carved out so far in 2022.
The minister for medical and health, Vidadala Rajani, said that with the move, a total of 953 medical PG seats have been added over the past three years and three months, taking the total number of seats to 1,923 from 970 in 2019.
Crediting Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for the improved numbers, she added that 3,000 more PG seats would be added when the 17 newly sanctioned medical colleges start functioning.
Rajani said that 106 professor posts were created and 1,254 assistant professors appointed to ensure adequate teaching staff in the state. The minister said that the increase in PG seats will cater to the increasing demand for super-speciality doctors in the state.
Further, the minister said that the state government was giving top priority to the health sector.
The 17 newly sanctioned colleges will be set up at a cost of Rs 8,000 crore and another Rs 16,255 crore would be spent under the Nadu-Nedu programme to revamp existing hospitals. Annually, Rs 13,000 crore is allocated in the state budget for the sector.
