Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurates Nagaland's first medical college

NEW DELHI: In a span of just nine years, the number of MBBS seats in Nagaland has increased from 64,000 to 1.6 lakh while that of the post-graduation seats has doubled, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Saturday as he inaugurated the Nagaland Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (NIMSR) in Kohima, the first medical college in the northeastern state.

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said it was a historic day for the people of Nagaland as a long-cherished dream of theirs was fulfilled. Mandaviya highlighted that the NIMSR is not just a medical college, but also a research institute. "It will not only fulfil the purpose of imparting medical education, but will also address the health issues of the Naga people," he said.

Highlighting the Centre's commitment towards improving medical education in the northeastern state, Mandaviya said, "In a span of just nine years, the (number of) MBBS seats in Nagaland has increased from 64,000 to 1.6 lakh. Similarly, PG seats have also doubled in the last nine years." In a word of encouragement for the students and other stakeholders, the Union health minister said they should not limit their scope of research within the national borders. "We must encash on opportunities abroad as well," he said.

Mandaviya informed that the Centre has started foreign language courses in many medical education institutes, so that students can have an edge in getting jobs abroad. He said strengthening medical, nursing and pharmacy education in the country is an endeavour of the BJP-led Centre for the holistic development and expansion of the country's health sector. "The aim is to ensure that each citizen of India is able to get access to affordable and accessible healthcare across the country," the minister said. He also highlighted the expansion of the "jan aushadhi kendras" all over the country to improve access to quality and affordable medicines for all.

NIMSR, Kohima is affiliated to the Nagaland University. It received the letter of permission for the admission of 100 MBBS students from academic year 2023-2024 from the National Medical Commission (NMC) in April, paving the way to start the first medical college in Nagaland after 60 years of statehood, realising the long-cherished dream of the people of the northeastern state, the health ministry said in a statement. It said 85 MBBS students from Nagaland and six from the all-India seats got admitted to the NIMSR and have joined the MBBS classes after their induction programme on September 1.

"This is a historic day for the people of Nagaland as we inaugurated the first medical college in the state," Rio said. Highlighting that it was a long-cherished dream of the people of Nagaland to have a medical college in their state, the chief minister thanked the Union government for steadfastly taking up the project. Rio also said the NIMSR would help the state strengthen its secondary and tertiary healthcare and hoped that it would become a centre of excellence in the future.