Jagan urges govt to reconsider privatisation of medical colleges

YSRCP president and former chief minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, has urged the TDP-led coalition government to immediately reconsider its plans to privatise medical colleges and withdraw the letter sent to the National Medical Commission (NMC), which could potentially result in a reduction of medical seats in the State.
In a message on the social media platform ‘X’, the YSRCP leader called on the TDP to prioritise public healthcare by completing the pending works in these institutions, ensuring quality medical education and providing free healthcare for the underprivileged. He cautioned that failing to act responsibly could trigger widespread public discontent against the government’s actions.
He strongly criticised the TDP coalition, headed by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, for undermining the state’s progress in medical education and public healthcare. He condemned the government for rejecting additional MBBS seats offered by the central government, describing it as a self-destructive move that deprived aspiring students of the chance to pursue medical education. He noted that while neighbouring states were enhancing their medical infrastructure, Andhra Pradesh lost a valuable opportunity due to the TDP’s adverse stance.
YS Jagan emphasised that providing quality education and healthcare is a fundamental responsibility of any government. He highlighted that during the previous YSRCP regime, groundbreaking reforms were initiated in the healthcare sector, including the establishment of 17 new medical colleges with an investment of Rs 8,480 crore.
The goal was to have a medical college in every parliamentary constituency, thereby increasing the number of healthcare professionals across the state.
He also pointed out that five of these colleges had already commenced classes for the 2023-24 academic year, adding 750 MBBS seats to the state’s capacity.
He further criticised the TDP’s recent decisions to limit the number of seats in newly established medical colleges. He questioned the reduction of seats at the Paderu and Pulivendula medical colleges and alleged that such moves were part of a broader plan to privatise these institutions, which could lead to public harm and potential scams. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the YSRCP government has invested Rs 2,403 crore in medical infrastructure and prepared five more colleges to begin teaching activities.
YS Jagan reiterated the importance of government medical colleges in providing free super-speciality services to the poor and in guiding other healthcare institutions, such as area hospitals, community health centres (CHCs), and primary health centres (PHCs). He warned that the privatisation of these institutions would disproportionately harm underprivileged students and local communities, as it would result in exorbitant fees due to reduced competition in the healthcare sector.