Works gain pace for medical college in Paderu

Visakhapatnam: In an Agency area where healthcare facilities are less accessible, the State government is initiating steps to set up Dr YSR Tribal Medical College.

Very recently, the State government has taken a decision to allocate Rs 500 crore in the first phase for the project which is going to come up near Polytechnic College, Chintalaveedhi, Paderu.

With the government keen on establishing a medical college in each Parliamentary constituency, Paderu is soon going to house the institution.

Similarly, another medical college is on the cards at Anakapalle constituency.

About 35 acres were allotted for the Dr YSR Tribal Medical College in Paderu. With the design of the college already being readied and Rs 195 crore allotted by the Central government under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana scheme, arrangements will be made to provide 100 MBBS seats in the college.

Tenders are being called for the project and it is expected to be materialised in a month's time. "Initially, the first year block and the hostel will be made available. Once they are completed, the rest of the blocks will be built in a phased manner," says S. Venkateswar, Project Officer of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency.

Absence of gynaecologists, paediatricians, anaesthetists and other specialists leads to several health complications among the tribal people in the Agency areas. "The medical college will help improve the healthcare system in Agency areas.

There is a need to accelerate works pertaining to the institution as it is not only useful to the students but also to the tribals who have been suffering for ages without proper access to public healthcare," says G Rama Gopal, tribal activist and State president of the Indian Confederation of Indigenous and Tribal People.