Delhi govt to set up another medical college by 2025

This will be the second medical college instituted by the AAP government, after the 125-seat Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical College was established with the hospital of the same name in 2016.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting with the MLAs on Monday over the anti-encroachment drives. (File Photo)

The Delhi government has decided to set up a medical college associated with its newly constructed Indira Gandhi hospital in Dwarka, which was opened for Covid-19 treatment after the capital witnessed the massive second wave. The medical college will be constructed in Sector 17 and is likely to be completed by 2025, according to a release by the government. The number of MBBS seats that the college will add is yet to be decided.

This will be the second medical college instituted by the AAP government, after the 125-seat Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical College was established with the hospital of the same name in 2016. Delhi currently has at least nine medical colleges, including one private, with just over 1,300 MBBS seats.

The most recent medical college in Delhi that started admitting MBBS students in 2019 was Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences associated with the 90-year-old Dr Ram Manohar Lohia hospital. The institute was earlier meant for post-graduation and super-speciality training.

Of the 1,241 beds proposed at Indira Gandhi hospital, 600 will be utilised for a mother and child block. It has already started its out-patient and emergency department after Covid-19 cases waned. OPD clinics of medicine, paediatrics, gynaecology, ophthalmology, ENT, dermatology, surgery, and physiotherapy have been started. Registrations will be between 8 am and 11.30 am and the clinics will function till 1 pm. Emergency services were also started recently at the hospital.