AP Government to Move Ahead with PPP Model for Medical Colleges Despite Criticism

The Government of Andhra Pradesh has decided to proceed with its plan to operate 10 medical colleges under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model , despite strong opposition from the YSR Congress Party .

State Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav informed the Assembly that the government intends to implement the PPP model over the next two financial years to expand medical education and strengthen healthcare services across the state.

According to the minister, 17 medical colleges were initiated during the tenure of former Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy . Of these, 11 were sanctioned through National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development , three under central government schemes , and three through the SASCI scheme .

The total estimated cost of these colleges is about ₹8,480 crore . However, Satya Kumar Yadav alleged that the previous government spent only around ₹1,500 crore on the projects. Of that, nearly ₹500 crore was spent on the Pulivendula medical college alone, while progress on other institutions remained slow.

He said the present government has accelerated the works and has already spent about ₹900 crore to continue construction. The minister also criticised the previous administration for not initiating land acquisition for the proposed medical college in Parvathipuram .

The move has triggered strong opposition from the YSRCP, which claims the PPP model amounts to privatisation of government medical colleges . As part of its protest, the party led by Jagan Mohan Reddy recently submitted over one crore signatures collected across the state to Governor S. Abdul Nazeer , demanding that the government withdraw the plan.

Despite the criticism, the state government has indicated that it will move ahead with the PPP framework , arguing that private participation will help speed up completion of the colleges and expand healthcare infrastructure in Andhra Pradesh.