Health minister lays foundation stone for Nagaland's second medical college

KOHIMA: Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Friday laid the foundation stone for Nagaland's second medical college, which will be set up in Mon district with an estimated investment of Rs 325 crore.

Construction of the facility is expected to be completed by 2023-24. The new college in Mon, one of the most backward districts of the state, will help provide affordable healthcare services to nearly 2.5 lakh people, an official said.

The upcoming facility was approved with an expenditure of Rs 325 crore under a centrally sponsored scheme, he said. On the occasion, Vardhan lauded healthcare professionals for their service in the COVID-19 crisis and said India is ahead of many developed countries in the fight against the disease.

Medical colleges

The Union minister will visit the state's first medical college here on Saturday to oversee the ongoing development works there. He urged the state government to take steps to achieve the country's target of eliminating tuberculosis by 2025.

The minister said the country currently has 562 medical colleges, while 175 more are in the process of development and around 1,50,000 health and wellness centres have been set up. Speaking at the function, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said the new college will not only benefit Nagaland but also help people living in the neighbouring states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

He said the facility will be run by the state government under the public-private partnership model. Mon Medical College is one of the 75 facilities which will be constructed in the districts across the country where people have been deprived of better health services, Rio added.

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