MP: Foundation laid for 2 med colleges in tribal heartland
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday marked a major milestone in expanding healthcare infrastructure in tribal regions with the foundation laying of two medical colleges in Dhar and Betul. The projects will be developed under the public-private partnership (PPP) model, making them the first such medical colleges in the country.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda laid the foundation stones of the medical colleges in both districts. In Betul, development works worth ₹383 crore were also inaugurated and laid.
Addressing the gatherings, Chief Minister Yadav said the projects would transform the “picture and destiny” of Betul and Dhar, ensuring that quality healthcare reaches tribal and rural populations. He also announced that Multai would now be officially known as “Mooltapi”.
The Chief Minister said the Betul medical college would eventually have up to 1,000 beds, ensuring that residents would no longer need to travel to Nagpur or Bhopal for advanced medical treatment. Union minister Nadda said the establishment of medical colleges in Betul and Dhar would significantly improve access to healthcare for people living in surrounding tribal belts. He noted that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, India has witnessed historic reforms in the health sector, with a strong focus on preventive care, outreach and infrastructure expansion in remote areas.
Highlighting national achievements, Nadda said India now operates over 1.81 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, providing comprehensive primary healthcare services, including maternal and child health, mental health, non-communicable disease screening and tele-mental health services through Tele-MANAS. More than 30 lakh people have benefited from Tele-MANAS so far, he said. He added that cancer screening among women, tuberculosis elimination efforts and large-scale hypertension screening have shown significant progress.
The Union minister said India had 387 medical colleges in 2014, a number that has now increased to over 820, including the new institutions in Dhar and Betul. In MP alone, the number of medical colleges has risen from five to 33, with plans to cross 50 in the coming years. He also detailed central funding for super-speciality blocks, medical college upgrades, and increased MBBS and postgraduate seats across the state.
Several ministers, legislators and public representatives, including Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla, Urban Development Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya and State BJP president Hemant Khandelwal, attended the programmes.
