DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

The Doaba region of Punjab on Sunday got its third medical college within 36 months as Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann laid the foundation stone of a government medical college in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar to come up at a cost of around Rs 300 crore.

The Chief Minister had earlier laid the foundation stones of Medical Colleges at Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala.

Out of four districts of the Doaba region, three, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, will now have government medical colleges.

The new Government Medical College will be attached to the Civil Hospital and this institution, named after Shaheed Bhagat Singh, is a tribute to his legacy and commitment to the people of Punjab, officials said.

The college will offer 50 MBBS seats, bringing medical education closer to students from the region. The District Civil Hospital at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar currently provides secondary-level care but lacks specialised medical facilities.

With the establishment of the medical college, specialist and super-specialist doctors will be available around the clock. The hospital will be transformed into a state-of-the-art teaching hospital, benefiting both patients and medical students.

Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar is a remote district with limited access to tertiary healthcare facilities but successive governments largely ignored this region, forcing patients to travel to Ludhiana, Jalandhar, or Chandigarh for treatment. However, this medical college will reduce the patient burden on referral hospitals by offering advanced care locally and training future doctors in a rural setting, encouraging them to serve the local

population.

This project has been fast-tracked ensuring timely completion and operationalisation. Recruitment of faculty and staff will be prioritised to make this institution fully functional at the earliest.

The government will ensure timely construction and infrastructure development, additional funding for expanding hospital services and further upgrades to make Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar a healthcare hub for north Punjab, officials said.

(editor@dailyworld.in)