Hyderabad: Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha attended the Gandhi Medical College graduation ceremony for the 68th batch of MBBS students and presented degrees to graduates. He told students they were accepting a lifelong responsibility to serve society through the medical profession.
The minister said the success of students reflected the contribution of their families and teachers. He described the medical profession as a lifelong commitment to public service. He also said doctors who worked with compassion and ethics always earned respect in society.
Damodar Raja Narasimha said medical colleges were centres of knowledge, values and compassion where future doctors were shaped. He said Gandhi Hospital had evolved into one of the country’s major tertiary care centres after beginning as a small infirmary in 1851.
The minister said Gandhi Hospital played a major role during outbreaks such as dengue, swine flu and Covid-19. He added that the hospital treated nearly one lakh patients during the pandemic.
Gandhi Medical College graduation highlights healthcare expansion
The minister said the government was strengthening Gandhi Hospital to improve public healthcare services. He referred to the recent successful liver transplant surgery performed on an 18-month-old child at Osmania Hospital.
Damodar Raja Narasimha said the surgery, which normally cost several lakhs in private hospitals, was performed free of cost in a government hospital. He also said the government inaugurated a state organ transplant centre at Gandhi Hospital with an investment of Rs. 40 crore.
According to the minister, the facility included six modular operation theatres, three ICUs with 25 beds and dedicated isolation wards. He added that another transplant centre was under development at TIMS Sanathnagar.
The minister said the government was establishing organ retrieval centres in seven government general hospitals across the state.
New facilities planned in government hospitals
Damodar Raja Narasimha said the IVF centre launched at Gandhi Hospital in 2024 helped several couples become parents. He added that a couple who underwent IVF treatment at the hospital recently welcomed twin babies.
The minister also inaugurated a mother milk bank at Gandhi Hospital. He said the facility would support newborns whenever mothers could not provide breast milk.
He further said the hospital established a 10-bed substance intoxication care unit and a de-addiction counselling centre for patients affected by drug abuse.
Damodar Raja Narasimha said the government was giving top priority to education and healthcare sectors. He said Telangana currently had 35 government medical colleges.
The minister stated that the government established nine new medical colleges, 16 nursing colleges and 28 paramedical colleges in the last two years. He also said authorities were improving infrastructure through digital classrooms, e-libraries, skill labs and virtual anatomy tables.
The minister announced that the government was constructing a new Osmania Hospital in Goshamahal with 2,000 beds at a cost of Rs. 2,700 crore. Hostel buildings for Gandhi and Osmania students were also under construction at a cost of Rs. 210 crore.
He said the government increased stipends for UG and PG students and senior residents by 15 per cent. He added that PG medical seats increased from 1,121 to 1,266 in the last two years.
Damodar Raja Narasimha said the government sent proposals for approval of another 388 PG seats. He added that authorities constituted monitoring committees for every medical college and initiated recruitment for thousands of healthcare posts across the state.
గాంధీ మెడికల 68వ బ్యాచ్ ఎంబీబీఎస్ విద్యార్థుల స్నాతకోత్సవ కార్యక్రమంలో మంత్రి పాల్గొని, విద్యార్థులకు పట్టాలు అందజేశారు.
మంత్రి స్పీచ్ పాయింట్స్:
ఈ రోజు మీరు డిగ్రీతో పాటు, సమాజానికి సేవ చేయాల్సిన ఒక పవిత్ర బాధ్యతను తీసుకుంటున్నారు.
మీ విజయంలో మీ కుటుంబ సభ్యులు, అధ్యాపకుల… pic.twitter.com/qgeE1ryYG0
— Damodar Raja Narasimha (@DamodarCilarapu) May 1, 2026