The foundation stone for two new medical colleges – one in Piduguralla in Palnadu and the other in Bapatla – was laid remotely by Prime Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday.
Gurazala MLA Kasu Mahesh Reddy said the move to set up a 500-bed hospital would fill a massive void in public health facilities in the area. The lack of hospital beds in the Palnadu region forces many to go to Guntur, 150 km away.
With the establishment of a new medical college and teaching hospital in Piduguralla, people would have access to quality medical care, he said.
Narsaraopet MP Lavu Srikrishnadevarayulu thanked Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy and appealed to him to upgrade the area hospital from 30 beds to 100 beds as the region is some distance from major cities.
District collector Vivek Yadav said the new medical facility would help people, especially those who live in tribal villages, as quality medical care is beyond their reach.
In Bapatla, Minister of Homeland and Disaster Management M. Sucharita, MLA Kona Raghupati, MP Nandigam Suresh and Joint Collector AS Dinesh Kumar were present.
Mr Raghupati said the new medical college would help people in six constituencies of the Congregation in the coastal area, adding that 50 acres of land had already been purchased.