Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said one of the major challenges facing the country was to provide adequate health care facilities to the growing population and address the shortage of trained medical personnel.

"One of the major challenges is in providing adequate health care facilities for the growing population of our country. There is a shortage of both trained doctors and nurses," Singh said after laying the foundation stone of the Jorhat Medical College in Jorhat, Assam.

"This needs to be addressed at the national and regional levels. I am happy that the Assam Government is taking major steps to overcome the shortage in health care," he said.

"Five of the southern states have more than 60 per cent of the medical colleges in the country. This uneven distribution of medical facility is the root cause of the problem," the prime minister asserted.

The Centre is taking on the issue by working out ways for the spread of medical education in the country, he said.

"There is a need to amend the charter of the Medical Council of India incorporating spread of medical education as a major objective. Change is needed in the mindset of all the authorities to bring a vital promotional growth in the health care sector," Singh said.

Efforts would also have to be made to enhance the quality of medical education in the country and ensure balance in regional spread, the prime minister said.

Lauding the state government for setting up a society to direct the development of the Jorhat Medical College, he said, "Institutional excellence can only thrive when creative energy flows between teachers and students."

Saying that there was a need for increasing the number of nurses to support the system, Singh said, "The Planning Commission has projected a shortage of nearly one million nurses in the next five years in the country."

The prime minister also pointed out how India could become a potential pool of health care industry, using its needs and opportunities to meet the challenges.

"Nursing has become a source of job opportunities and a means for empowerment of women in some parts of our country.

With the right opportunities, we hope to see more lady doctors from the northeast," he said.