West Bengal proposes 4 new medical colleges, second AIIMS and cancer hospital
Kolkata- While presenting the West Bengal budget on Monday, the state government announced initiatives, including the establishment of four new medical colleges, a second All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and a specialised cancer treatment hospital in North Bengal.
The series of proposed healthcare initiatives is expected to effectively transform the healthcare landscape in West Bengal.
According to the TOI report, the four new medical colleges will be established in Alipurduar, Kalimpong, Paschim Bardhaman, and Dakshin Dinajpur, while the existing Suri Super-speciality Hospital in Birbhum will be upgraded into a full-fledged medical college.
Additionally, new super-speciality hospitals are set to be built in Sundarban, Purulia, and Darjeeling.
Together, the state will add 650 MBBS seats across 13 medical colleges and more than 450 postgraduate seats across the state.
Apart from this, Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana is also being launched, under which good quality generic medicines will be made available through specialised centres at 50% to 80% lower prices than branded medicines.
AMRIT (Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment) stores will be set up in all districts and sub-divisional hospitals, offering life-saving medicines, surgical disposables, and expensive implants at steep discounts ranging from 50% to 90%.
Meanwhile, the existing hospital facilities in Haripal, Bamangola, Farakka, Digha, Jhalda, and Manbazar are set for major upgrades.
Trauma care centres will be set up at popular tourist destinations such as Digha, Darjeeling, and Farakka, and the Bidi Workers' Hospital in Murshidabad will be modernised.
Specifically, a dedicated motorboat ambulance service and island-based childbirth centres will be deployed to serve the challenging terrain of the Sundarbans. Thus, this initiative will help improve access to the state's rural and remote areas.
The government aims to establish Bengal as a preferred destination for global medical value tourism by setting up a new AYUSH department and five regional medical centres.
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