Health Minister Writes To Jagan Defending PPP In New Medical Colleges
Responding to allegations of privatisation, Yadav clarified the distinction between PPP and privatisation: Reports
VIJAYAWADA: Medical and Health minister Y. Satya Kumar Yadav has strongly countered former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s allegations on the coalition government’s public-private partnership (PPP) move for setting up new government medical colleges (GMCs) in the state.
In a detailed letter addressed to Jagan, the minister accused the YSRC chief of political doublespeak and spreading misinformation on the stalled initiative of new government medical colleges. He pointed out that the ambitious plan of the previous administration to establish 17 GMCs during its four-year tenure suffered from poor progress, with only 17 per cent financial expenditure (₹1,451 crore) and 25 per cent physical completion (₹2,101 crore) recorded. The plan, initiated with much fanfare, lacked earnest execution, leading to its eventual failure, Yadav underlined.
He pointed out that the original target had been to admit 2,550 MBBS students across the new government medical colleges by the academic year 2025–26. However, delays and inadequate infrastructure thwarted this goal. He cited that changes made in National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines in 2023 mandated full infrastructure readiness before admissions. This led to reduced admissions in Paderu and other medical colleges. For instance, Paderu college could admit only 50 students against the proposed 150 students.
The minister emphasised that owing to the funding and infrastructure gaps left by the past regime, the present government had to mobilise massive resources within a short span—unfeasible for the alliance government given the poor financial state the previous government had left AP in. He further criticised the discriminatory focus of Jagan’s administration that prioritised Pulivendula Medical College over other regions, leading to uneven development.
Responding to allegations of privatisation, Yadav clarified the distinction between PPP and privatisation. He affirmed that PPP involves government control paired with private sector investment, which is crucial for accomplishing such large-scale infrastructure projects.
The minister maintained that adoption of PPP is a pragmatic step given the pace and scale of investment required, which the government alone cannot meet. He refuted the notion that this would restrict access to medical education for deserving students, highlighting that the fee structures under the PPP scheme remain unchanged for management and NRI quota seats.