Gujarat to have 43 medical colleges by end of this year, says minister

The budget for the year 2023-24 has provision for four new medical colleges. In addition, three medical colleges announced in the last year’s budget will also get approval, this year, the minister said in Gujarat Assembly adding that the state government aims at a medical college in every district.

“The state government has worked with determination to extend the health services to the rural level. Zone-wise superspecialty hospitals are being prepared in the state on the lines of Ahmedabad Civil Medicity. For this, infrastructure, services, equipment, accommodation facilities and appointment of healthcare workers have been carried out in superspecialty hospitals in Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar.

Telemedicine and e-Sanjeevani services are available in the state so that needy patients can get healthcare guidance from expert doctors at their doorstep, the minister stated adding that so far, 25.97 lakh teleconsultations and 9.87 lakh citizens have benefited from e-Sanjeevani OPDs in the state.

“As a result of various health related services of the state health department, the maternal mortality rate in Gujarat has reached 57 and the infant mortality rate has reached 23. In order to control the non-communicable diseases due to the changing lifestyle, the state government has also launched screening to treatment programmes at Health and Wellness Centers. Under which the health screening of 2.70 crore people has been completed, so far,” said the minister.

“Under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya-Ma Yojana, 1.73 crore beneficiaries of the state are covered under the health insurance cover. This year, the insurance amount under this scheme has been increased from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh which will prove effective in the treatment of serious and complex diseases,’ he added.

The existing 8,844 health and wellness centres, 9,231 sub health Centres, 1,475 primary health centres, 354 urban primary health centres, 365 collective health centres, 59 sub district hospitals, 518 Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendras available in the state have made the village level health systems of the state optimal and effective, the minister added.