An additional 600 seats have been added to undergraduate medical courses this academic year, taking the total number in the State to 5,600, the highest in any State in the country, said Minister for Medical Education Kondru Murali.
However, the Medical Council of India (MCI) has rejected some of the applications sent this year on technical grounds. All the applications submitted before June 30 have been cleared, he told the media here on Sunday.
Giving the break-up of seats in both government and private colleges in different regions: Telangana - 2,350, Coastal Andhra - 2,300 and Rayalaseema – 950, he said that the government was focusing on development of all regions. The Chief Minister is planning to meet Union Health Minister and get clearance for more seats, he added.
He said the government was constantly working towards improving the facilities for medical and healthcare of the common man and for that purpose, has focused on enhancing the capacities of the 104 and 108 services. Since the 108 ambulances cannot travel in the hinterland inhabited by tribal people, the government was introducing 78 ambulances built on off-road vehicles and also proposing to start boat ambulances to cater to the needs of the residents of islands on Godavari river.