Cabinet gives approval for 157 govt nursing colleges in country

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet as approved to build 157 government nursing colleges in the country. Through this, 16,000 seats will be created annually. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that the new initiative will cost Rs 1570 crore in collaboration with the existing government medical colleges.

The decision is aimed at ensuring quality and cost-effective nursing education in the country and increasing the number of qualified nursing professionals. The new nursing colleges will work in collaboration with the Medical Colleges to ensure better utilization of existing infrastructure, skill labs, clinical facilities, and faculties. The Union Health minister clarified that the project will be completed within two years.

A high-level committee headed by the Union Health Secretary and the Principal Secretaries of Health and Medical Education of the states will monitor the progress of the work. 157 nursing colleges are being started in collaboration with existing medical colleges established since 2014 in the country.

Nursing colleges are sanctioned in 27 districts in UP, 23 districts in Rajasthan, 14 districts in Madhya Pradesh, and 11 each in Tamil Nadu and Bengal states. In Bihar, it was allotted in 8 districts while in Odisha and Jammu and Kashmir it was allotted in 7 districts each. The remaining was allocated to the Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Ladakh and in 17 states.