3 new medical colleges likely in Karnataka next year

Bengaluru, Mar 10: The State government is ready to establish three new medical colleges from the next year provided the Medical Council of India gives its nod.

Interacting with reporters on Monday in Bengaluru, Minister of State for Medical Education Sharan Prakash Patil said if approval is given then Kalaburagi, Koppal and Gadag district would have medical colleges. He said construction of the college buildings in these districts has almost been completed. An MCI team had inspected the construction sites in January this year. The medical education department has recently urged the MCI to give necessary approvals to begin the colleges in the coming academic year, he added.

Work on the construction of three new college buildings at Kodagu, Uttara Kannada and Chamarajnagar is underway. The construction work has been delayed in these places due to various reasons, including non-cooperation of contractors, the minister said.

This apart, the department has recently written to the Centre urging it to set up a unit of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Kalaburagi. Newly-constructed ESI hospital building at Kalaburagi city can also house AIIMS unit. But the Centre has not replied to the letter, he added.