The Gujarat government will seek approval to set up five new medical colleges in Panchmahal, Gir-Somnath, Devbhumi-Dwarka, Botad and Morbi districts under a Central government scheme, deputy Chief Minister said on 1st January.

The Deputy CM said the total estimated cost for setting up the colleges will be Rs 1625 crores, of which Central share will be 60 per cent. He said each new medical college will have 100 seats for MBBS. The total MBBS intake in Gujarat would cross 6300, after the Centre approves the five new medical colleges, he said. Speaking to reporters in Gandhinagar, he said that existing government-run hospitals in Panchmahal, Gir-Somnath, Devbhumi-Dwarka, Botad and Morbi districts would be attached to the new colleges after upgrading them as per Medical Council of India (MCI) norms.

"The Union government has identified 75 districts in the country which do not have a medical college. Few months back, we had sent a proposal to build medical colleges in Narmada, Porbandar and Navsari districts. Now, we are sending another proposal to the Centre to approve medical colleges in these five districts," he said. To run a medical college, the attached hospital must have at least 300 beds as per the MCI norms. Thus, the state government will first upgrade these five hospitals as per the norms before building the medical colleges, he said, adding that each college would cost Rs 325 crore, taking the total expenditure to Rs 1625 crore.

The proposed medical colleges are situated in Godhra town in Panchmahal, Khambhalia in Devbhumi-Dwarka, Veraval in Gir-Somnath, and in Botad and Morbi. "As per the central scheme, 60 per cent of the Rs 1625 crore cost for the five colleges will be borne by the Centre while the state government would contribute 40 per cent. We will a give the land free of cost. Each college will have the intake capacity of 100 MBBS seats," he said.