Two new medical colleges to open in Bihar next month

Patna: Bihar will add two more medical colleges at the beginning of the New Year, taking the total number of state govt-run medical colleges to 15. At present, 13 such medical colleges are operational across 11 districts of the state.Health department officials said on Saturday that the medical college and hospital built at Mahua in Vaishali district and the Veer Kunwar Singh Medical College and Hospital at Ara in Bhojpur district will begin operations in Jan 2026. The construction cost of the two institutions stands at Rs 500 crore and Rs 543 crore, respectively.“Both these medical colleges will have a capacity of 500 beds each. A total of 100 MBBS students will be admitted in each of these medical colleges,” the officials said.“Both the upcoming medical colleges in Bhojpur and Vaishali districts will be run strictly as per the norms of the National Medical Council (NMC). They will primarily have major facilities such as general medicine, surgery, pediatrics, gynecology and ICU. These two medical colleges and hospitals will provide facilities for patients including indoor and outdoor treatment, diagnostic tests and medicines,” the officials said.They added that demonstration rooms, museums, autopsy blocks with equipment and other necessary academic and clinical facilities have also been put in place. Both the new colleges have hostel buildings for all students, along with accommodation facilities for doctors and staff.Until about 11 years ago, Bihar had only seven state govt-run medical colleges. These included Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) and Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) in Patna district; Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), Muzaffarpur; Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), Darbhanga; Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College (ANMMCH), Gaya and Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, Bhagalpur.Over the past decade, six new state govt-run medical colleges were built and inaugurated, raising the number to 13. These 13 medical colleges are located in 11 districts, with three situated in the state capital, Patna.The six medical colleges added in the last 10 years are Jananayak Karpuri Thakur Medical College and Hospital (JNKTMCH), Madhepura; Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Bettiah; Bhagwan Mahavir Institute of Medical Sciences (BMIMS), Pawapuri in Nalanda; Government Medical College and Hospital, Chhapra in Saran; Government Medical College and Hospital, Purnia and Shriram Janki Medical College and Hospital (SRJMCH), Samastipur.Health department officials further said that construction of at least one medical college in each of the remaining districts is proposed to be completed within the next five years. “Around 45-50% of construction work has been completed in Siwan and Begusarai districts, while 60-80% of the work has been completed in Buxar and Madhubani districts,” they said.Apart from these 13 state govt-run institutions, Bihar has nine recognised private medical colleges offering around 1,350 MBBS seats. “Admissions to these institutions are strictly based on NEET UG scores and are conducted through the Bihar Combined Entrance Competitive Examination Board (BCECEB),” the officials said.The state also has an AIIMS located at Phulwarisharif in Patna.