The Punjab government will add 100 MBBS seats each in the government medical colleges of Patiala and Amritsar from the next academic year, an official spokesman said here.
A decision to this effect was taken by chief minister Parkash Singh Badal during the 30th meeting of the governing body of the Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Society, Jalandhar, held under his chairmanship here on Thursday.

Both colleges currently have an intake of 150 students each for the MBBS course.

The governing body also gave the nod to increase the intake of 47 seats in postgraduation courses at the Patiala medical college.

In another decision, the governing body gave its approval to spend Rs. 32 crore on the purchase of equipment for the upcoming Rs. 60-crore state-of-the-art Cancer Diagnostic Treatment Centre at Bathinda, the spokesman said.

A haemophiliac diagnostic centre would be set up at a cost of Rs. 1.2 crore in Patiala, he said.

Badal told the medical education and research department to set up haemophiliac diagnostic centres at other government medical and dental colleges also.

The CM directed the authorities concerned to expedite the construction work of the Rs. 5-crore drug de-addiction centre at Patiala.

He approved the setting up of a committee to promote research in all government medical and dental colleges of the state, for which Rs. 5 crore have been approved.

Reviewing the status of various approved ongoing projects in government medical colleges of the state, Badal sought a comprehensive plan for upgrading the radiotherapy unit at Government Medical College, Amritsar.