Karwar: The new medical college run by the government in Karwar would be equipped with all the required facilities, assured Medical Education Minister Sharanprakash. He was speaking after welcoming the first year MBBS students to the Karwar Government Medical College on Saturday.

Minister said that at present there are 80 medical staff in this college and 15 percent of the posts are vacant. All these vacant posts would also be filled soon, he promised.

Talking to first batch students, he said: "To study in government medical colleges, you are paying only Rs. 16,000 towards fee per annum and the government is spending lakhs of rupees on each one of you. Therefore, you should work for the welfare of the society." To give an opportunity to meritorious students, the government  has started six medical colleges in last two years and another seven more will be started in the coming days. The government quota seats have been doubled to 2,200, he added.

Talking to reporters after the programs, the minister said that the state government was not averse to open up all government quota seats in the medical colleges to National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test (NEET). But, efforts are on to reserve some seats for meritorious students of the state.

He said that NEET would be made mandatory for admissions to medical colleges, but the government will not give up its share of seats.

“We will reserve some seats for our meritorious students. In addition to that, we are giving training to pre-university students in their colleges to crack NEET, which is compulsory from next academic year for admission to medical colleges,” he said.

To ensure medical facility, the government has planned to start medical colleges in every district, he said.

Six medical colleges have already started and another seven colleges will come up soon in Bagalkot, Haveri, Chikkaballapur, Tumakuru, Yadgir, Chitradurga and Bengaluru, minister said.