Dehradun, Oct 1 (IANS): The medical college in Haridwar district of Uttarakhand will become operational soon so that local people will no longer have to travel to other cities for treatment, government officials said.

Due to the special efforts of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the Haridwar Medical College is going to begin operations soon, officials added on Monday.

The state government is continuously making efforts towards improving health services in Haridwar.

The state government has said in a statement that 100 MBBS seats have been allotted for the medical college in Haridwar during the initial phase which will start functioning soon for which Chief Minister Dhami on Monday expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda.

The state government is determined to develop health facilities in Uttarakhand.

After establishment of Government Medical College in Dehradun, Srinagar and Haldwani, now this medical college is soon going to be operational in Haridwar as well.

Despite being a district situated in the plains, there was a shortage of doctors in Haridwar. Therefore, with the special efforts of Chief Minister Dhami and State Health Minister Dhan Singh Rawat, the construction work of the medical college began in Haridwar.

Due to the special efforts of Health Secretary R. Rajesh Kumar, the building used for the construction of the medical college was completed in a short time. Last month, the National Medical Commission team inspected the Haridwar Medical College in which some shortcomings were pointed out, which were later rectified.

The construction of this college will benefit lakhs of people living in Haridwar. In the past the people of this district had to travel to AIIMS Rishikesh and various other hospitals in Dehradun for availing of health services, but with the establishment of this medical college the people here will get huge relief in the coming days.

"Our government is continuously working to improve the health services of the state. We want to make medical services accessible in the districts located in the hills as well as in the plains. The construction of Haridwar Medical College has been completed rapidly. Certainly, people will benefit hugely from the opening of this hospital in the future. They will be able to receive medical services while staying there," CM Dhami added.