Telangana govt’s ‘white coat revolution’

Hyderabad: Reaching a significant milestone in medical education, Telangana opened nine new medical colleges on Friday.

Calling it a white coat revolution, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao virtually inaugurated the new medical colleges from his official residence Pragathi Bhavan. The state government claims that no other state in the country has started as many medical colleges in a single year, with its own funds, as Telangana has done.

These colleges have come up Kamareddy, Karimnagar, Khammam, Jayashankar Bhupalapally, Komaram Bheem Asifabad, Nirmal, Rajanna Sircilla, Vikarabad and Jangaon.

KCR said that these new colleges, combined with upgraded district hospitals, will enhance medical education and tertiary healthcare in the districts. The number of government medical colleges has now gone up to 26. Eight more medical colleges will become operational in the academic year 2024-2025.

This will become Telangana first Indian state to have a government medical college in each of its districts. KCR said that it is a matter of pride that Telangana has the highest number of medical seats in India – 22 per lakh population. Listing out various measures taken during the last nine years to improve healthcare facilities in the state and the results they yielded, KCR said health and medical education is another area where Telangana has emerged as a role model for the entire state.

“Once eight new government medical colleges become operational next year, the government and private medical colleges in Telangana together will produce 10,000 new doctors every year,” he said. He pointed out that at the time of formation of Telangana state, the number of medical seats was 2,850. The same has now gone up to 8,515.