The government of West Bengal is working in full swing for improving healthcare by setting up 7 new medical colleges in the state, which will create 700 additional MBBS seats

Around 700 additional MBBS seats will be created by setting up seven more medical colleges in West Bengal. The construction of five of these is going on in full swing while that of two others will begin soon. The five under construction are in Cooch Behar, Raiganj, Rampurhat, Purulia and Diamond Harbour while the other two will come up in Jalpaiguri and Arambagh.

Since 2011 the numbers of state-run medical colleges has increased to 14. Out of the 42 proposed super-speciality hospitals, 39 are already functioning, adding that they have been of immense help to the people in the rural parts of the state. Further, as many as 17,925 doctors have been recruited in the past six years.

The planned budget for the health sector has been increased to Rs 8,773.52 crore during the financial year 2018-19, from Rs 7,603.82 crore during 2017-18. The budget for drugs and medical equipment, part of the total budget, was Rs 857.83 crore during 2017-18, up from Rs 179 crore during 2010-11.