Andhra Pradesh gets 3 Medical Colleges under Centrally Sponsored Scheme: MoS Health

New Delhi: Referring to the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of 'Establishment of new Medical Colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals', the Minister of State for the Union Health Ministry recently confirmed before the Parliament that 3 medical colleges have been approved in Andhra Pradesh under Phase III of this scheme.

Although there were seven proposals of setting up medical colleges in the State, three of them have been sanctioned and those three medical colleges are going to come up at Piduguralla, Paderu and Machilipatnam.

"Phase-III of the above Centrally Sponsored Scheme was approved to establish 75 medical colleges. Seven proposals for setting up medical colleges at Piduguralla, Paderu, Machilipatnam, Eluru, Markapuram (Prakasam District), Pulivendula (YSR Kadapa District), Vizianagaram were received from the State Government of Andhra Pradesh, out of which three were approved at Piduguralla, Paderu and Machilipatnam," informed the MoS Health.

Such information came from the MoS Health while responding to a bunch of questions related to the number of medical colleges in India. One of those many questions also included whether the State Government of Andhra Pradesh has submitted a proposal requesting Government of India for permission to set up 15 medical colleges.

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Replying to these queries, the MoS Health answered, "The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare administers a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for 'Establishment of new Medical Colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals' with preference to underserved areas and aspirational districts, where there is no existing Government or private medical college. Under the Scheme, 157 new medical colleges have been approved in three phases and 71 are already functional. The details of remaining 86 medical colleges are at Annexure. As per Scheme guidelines, the State Government is the implementing agency and the planning, execution and commissioning of the project is done by the State Governments."

Referring to the medical colleges in Andhra Pradesh, Dr. Pawar answered, "Phase-III of the above Centrally Sponsored Scheme was approved to establish 75 medical colleges. Seven proposals for setting up medical colleges at Piduguralla, Paderu, Machilipatnam, Eluru, Markapuram (Prakasam District), Pulivendula (YSR Kadapa District), Vizianagaram were received from the State Government of Andhra Pradesh, out of which three were approved at Piduguralla, Paderu and Machilipatnam. Further, all 75 medical colleges have already been sanctioned."

This proposal of setting up three medical colleges had been confirmed last year by the MoS Health when she had informed about the same a couple of months ago. Apart from the medical colleges at