Kolkata, Sep 21 (IANS): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said free medicine and other health facilities will be available for people in all medical colleges under the state government within one month.

"In the recent past months, we have come up with a new scheme -- shortly the Department of Health and Family Welfare in all West Bengal government-owned medical colleges and hospitals will offer free medical services to all people," the chief minister said at an event felicitating meritorious students from the minority communities here.

She said that in the villages (primary to Zilla hospitals), the state government provides free medicine to patients besides not charging any fees for availing the hospital bed and related facilities.

"It implies that the free medicine and free bed-charges scheme - which we had in the zilla and district hospitals - will be extended to medical colleges. It will be implemented in the coming one month which will benefit lakhs of people," she said.

According to the chief minister, more than 76 percent of people in West Bengal avail public health services.

"Patients won't have to bear any charges on medicine, medical tests, bed and boarding fees. It will also include costly medicine for cancer, heart-related ailments, chemotherapy and others," she said.

The state government had earlier announced providing free treatment of all types of cancer, cardiac problems and blood disorders completely free in state government-run hospitals and medical colleges.