Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday inaugurated Nagaland’s first medical college – the Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (NIMSR). The college was inaugurated in the state capital Kohima in the presence of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.
NIMSR Kohima is affiliated with Nagaland University and it has 100 MBBS seats – 85 seats for the students of Nagaland and 15 seats for the students of other states.
85 MBBS students from Nagaland and six students from different states were admitted to NIMSR and joined MBBS classes after the induction program last month.
While addressing the event, Health Minister Mandaviya said, “NIMSR is not just a medical college, it is also a research institute. It will not only fulfil the purpose of imparting medical education but will also address the health issues of the Naga people.”
Highlighting the commitment of the Central government to improving medical education in Nagaland, he stated the MBBS seats in Nagaland have increased from 64,000 to 160,000 over the past nine years.
The Union Health Minister encouraged the students and other stakeholders to not limit their scope of research within national borders.
“We must encash on opportunities abroad as well,” he said. He also informed that the Union Govt has started foreign language courses in many medical education institutes so that students can have an edge in getting jobs abroad.
Mandaviya said that strengthening the medical, nursing and pharmacy education in the country is an endeavour of the Union Govt for the holistic development and expansion of the country’s health sector.
“The aim is to ensure that each citizen of India is able to get access to affordable and accessible healthcare across the country,” he said, particularly highlighting the expansion of Jan Aushadhi Kendras, where medicines are provided at highly subsidised rates
