The State government plans to establish a super-speciality hospital, medical college, trauma care centre and cancer hospital in every district to strengthen public healthcare and ensure that poor patients need not travel elsewhere for specialised treatment, Medical Education and Skill Development Minister Sharan Prakash Patil said here on Saturday.

Addressing the graduation ceremony of the 2020 batch of MBBS students at Mahadevappa Rampure Medical College (MRMC) of HKE Society, the Minister said that the State has emerged as a leader in medical education and other professional courses, with significant expansion in medical, nursing, pharmacy and allied health science education.

Dr. Patil said that the State already has government medical colleges in 22 districts and another five or six colleges will be established over the next two years.

He said that the expansion will provide greater opportunities for students from economically weaker sections of society to pursue medical education at affordable fees while ensuring access to quality healthcare through government institutions.

He said that efforts are also under way to develop Kalaburagi into a major healthcare hub. A dedicated mother and child hospital is under construction, the Kidwai Cancer Hospital is being upgraded into a 300-bed facility, an Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital is coming up and institutes similar to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) will soon be established in Kalaburagi and Mysuru.

Recalling his own association with the institution, Dr. Patil said that he is an alumnus of MRMC. He began his professional career there as a teacher. He urged the graduating doctors to uphold the dignity of the medical profession by placing service and compassion above financial gain.

“If doctors serve patients with dedication and humanity, recognition, reputation and success will naturally follow,” he said.

Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Rahul Sanknur urged the young doctors to continue learning throughout their careers and build confidence among patients through compassionate communication.

He noted that advances in medical science have significantly improved life expectancy in the country and said that doctors should combine professional competence with empathy while treating patients.

Earlier, HKE Society president and MLC Shashil G. Namoshi inaugurated the convocation programme and said that the institution has been making a significant contribution to medical education and healthcare services in the Kalyana Karnataka region.

He said that MRMC is among the leading medical colleges in the State and has consistently produced competent medical professionals.

Dean Sharangouda Patil presented the annual report of the college, highlighting its academic achievements.

He said that the institution has organised 20 major and 50 smaller health camps during the year besides hosting four State-level medical conferences.

He also noted that the college has recorded a 95.48% pass in the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences examinations in April, with 73 students securing First Class.

A total of 140 MBBS graduates of the 2020–26 batch received their degrees at the convocation.

Twenty-two students were honoured with gold and silver medals for academic excellence.

Meraj Tahreen secured the first rank in the batch, followed by Vaishnavi Shivamurthy and S. Chaitanya Lahari, while Satvik Umesh Yalashetty and Amreen Naz secured the third rank in the State in the ENT subject.