P. Chandrasekhar, Vice-Chancellor of Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences, along with other officials, addresses a press conference in Vijayawada on Monday.
| Photo Credit: G.N. RAO
Special funds are being allocated to promote research and sports in government medical colleges, said P. Chandrasekhar, Vice-Chancellor of Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences (Dr NTRUHS).
Addressing the media at the university campus in Vijayawada on Monday (March 30, 2026), Dr. Chandrasekhar said these initiatives are being taken up to improve standards in medical education. Each government medical college shall receive ₹10 lakh as a grant every year to improve infrastructure and conduct Inter-university/State/national tournaments, he said.
He also said that the university shall establish a Disease Monitoring and Decision Support Centre (DMDC) under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) on the premises.
The centre will institutionalise advanced predictive modelling and scenario simulations. It designates the DMDC as a State-level technical institution under the administrative control of the Health, Medical and Family Welfare Department, with an estimated expenditure of ₹5.73 crore. Additionally, it provides for the creation of 13 posts, encompassing technical, analytical, and programme management roles, while naming Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences as the nodal academic host institution, Dr. Chandrasekhar said.
These decisions were made during the 244th governing council meeting of the university, held on March 17, he said. He also mentioned that a request has been made to allocate about 25 acres of land in Amaravati for the university, and that the Capital Region Development Authority is considering it.
The university is also planning to sign an agreement with the Saw Swee Hock School Of Public Health, the national health university in Singapore, he said.
Further, to encourage research among students, the university will provide ₹30,000 stipend (₹5,000 per month for six months) to at least 1,000 students every year, the V-C announced. At present, only 500 undergraduate medical students receive ₹10,000.
Over the next three years, 3,000 students will participate in short-term research projects. This will include students from allopathy, AYUSH, paramedical, and other medical courses, he said, adding that the grant amount has been increased from ₹2 lakh to ₹5 lakh per person, based on research importance.
Faculty Research Grants have also been approved for 200 faculty members, working in the affiliated colleges. A financial assistance of ₹2-₹5 lakh will be provided to them, he said.
Published – March 30, 2026 08:46 pm IST
