Students aspiring for medical education in Andhra Pradesh are in for a shock as seven (7) government medical colleges in the state will not be able to admit students for the 500 seats they have. This is because the state government has not yet released Rs.15 crore as its share of fund for developing the basic infrastructure facilities of these government medical colleges.

The Union health ministry agreed to increase the seats in seven old government colleges only if the state government provided the necessary infrastructure that will meet the norms stipulated by the Medical Council of India (MCI) for enhancing the intake. As part of Central governments share, the Union ministry has already released Rs.60 crore. Now it’s the turn of state government to release 25 per cent amounting to Rs.15 crore in order to utilize the central funds.

Due to lackadaisical attitude of the state government the funds are lying unused. Despite repeated reminders from the medical education department, the finance department has not agreed either to release the amount or to issue the Government Order on the grounds that it has not received any instructions from the government to do so.

A spokes person in the health department said, “Unless the government acts fast, the 500 MBBS seats will be lost as it will be difficult to create the necessary infrastructure and facilities by March 2012 when the MCI is scheduled to commence inspection of medical colleges to approve the additional intake.”

The central government has agreed to provide funds to create additional infrastructure and required facilities in 7 leading medical colleges across the state which include Osmania Medical College, Gandhi Medical College, and Andhra Medical College, Kurnool Medical College, S V Medical College, Kakatiya Medical College and Guntur Medical College.

Currently there are 4,500 MBBS seats available in 14 government and 23 private medical colleges in the state, while over 60,000 students qualify in Eamcet Medical entrance tests every year and vie for MBBS.