Four new medical colleges expected to open in Punjab this year, with admissions perhaps starting in Mohali

Punjab’s government has announced the establishment of four new medical institutions in the province. According to OP Soni, Minister of Medical Education and Research, a budget of Rs 1,500 crore has been been aside for the new medical institutions in Kapurthala, Mohali, Malerkotla, and Hoshiarpur.

The minister laid the foundation stone for the Dr. BR Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences, a medical college in Mohali. The college will open before the other three since it already has a 300-bed hospital that only has to be connected to the medical college in Mohali.

The medical college in Mohali is now hiring support staff. It has already secured the services of 80% of the teaching staff.

Tenders for both the institution and the hospital will be issued in a fortnight. Infrastructure will cost Rs 325 crore, according to the government. A total of Rs 50 crore is required to provide high-tech equipment.

The college building is going to have four lecture theatres, labs, academic block, auditorium, library, community centre, residences for faculty and separate hostels for girls and boys.

Currently, there are only 1,400 medical seats per year including private and government colleges in the state of Punjab. With these four medical colleges, there will be 500 more seats every year.

The Medical Education and Research Minister said that there will be no dearth of doctors in the state after 500 more doctors will complete MBBS every year from the new medical colleges.

The NMC inspection has been applied for and as per Soni, the Mohali medical college is expected to admit the first batch of MBBS students this year.

Currently, designs for the three other medical colleges are under review. Tenders would be floated after the building designs get approved.