The AP government will recruit post-graduates in human physiology, biochemistry and anatomy as teaching staff in medical colleges in view of the acute shortage of professors. Announcing this in the state Assembly, Medical and Health Minister Dr Kodela Sivaprasada Rao said the vacancies would be filled up once the Supreme Court disposed of the cases on the promotion of teaching staff in medical colleges.

He also said that the number of medical colleges in the state would be increased from the present 21 to 40 to improve the people-doctor ratio. Steps would be taken to set up one medical college and one dental college each in all the 23 districts. The government would also introduce new courses in sports medicine, geriatrics and other modern subjects.

The Health Minister said the government had granted Essentiality Certificates to 28 private parties to set up medical colleges but only 11 of them had completed the formalities. The remaining ECs had lapsed and the government would issue a fresh notification calling for applications from private organisations. The government had constituted the justice SV Maruthi Committee to scrutinise and recommend applications to the government for grant of Essentiality Certificates for the establishment of medical/dental colleges. The total number of seats has now increased to 2,700 in medical colleges and 960 in dental colleges.

The Minister ruled out conducting refresher courses for unqualified registered medical practitioners and private medical practitioners and granting them permission to practice in the state. " It will be dangerous to allow unqualified people to treat patients. The government is firm on this issue. We do not mind them dispensing medicines given by qualified doctors or giving injections to patients if they are trained under a doctor. But we will certainly not allow them to practise on par with qualified doctors," he asserted.

There were 5,777 Ayurveda, 2,582 Unani, 7,174 Homoeo and 225 Naturopathy institutionally qualified persons practising, while non-institutionally qualified persons' number stood at 9,420, 5007, 9,170 and 302 respectively. Apart from these at least a couple of lakh persons could be practising in the state. More harm was being done to the people by them rather than by the non-availability of treatment facilities in the villages. The Minister said that the medical department would continue raids on bogus doctors in the state.