Azad promises more medical colleges for North-East India India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Saturday the Centre will set up medical colleges under the supervision of the State Governments in the North East India to overcome shortage of doctors in remote and far-flung areas of the region. Azad, who is on a two-day visit to Assam assured of providing all necessary health infrastructure to the region. He also assured that steps would be taken to ensure that medical benefits reach the poorer sections of the society under the National Rural Health Mission. Azad also said the Centre would aid the State Government in upgrading some selected district hospitals. Earlier, attending meeting of Health Ministers and Health Secretaries of all the eight north eastern states Azad reviewed the health programmes in the region. The Assam Government has appealed Azad to increase its share in the postgraduate medical seats from the existing 50 per cent as a special case. Assam has three medical colleges at Guwahati, Dibrugarh and Silchar with 246 postgraduate seats, in which 123 are reserved for candidates from outside the state. Azad also approved the Assam Government's request to set up hospitals in the riverside and char localities, where more than five thousand people live.