Chandrababu selling off govt medical colleges

Tadepalli, Sept 15: Former Health Minister Vidadala Rajini strongly condemned the Naidu government’s attempts to privatise government medical colleges, calling it an unprecedented betrayal of people’s health and students’ aspirations. She asserted that no state in the country has ever sold off government medical colleges and said Chandrababu Naidu will go down in history as the first Chief Minister to commit this grave act.

Rajini reminded that in 2014 the Union Government had announced a scheme to promote government medical colleges, but Chandrababu, despite being Chief Minister, failed to even consider it. In contrast, YS Jagan created history on September 15, 2023, by inaugurating five government medical colleges in a single day in Vizianagaram, Rajahmundry, Eluru, Machilipatnam, and Nandyal, marking a golden chapter in the state’s history.

Under YS Jagan’s leadership, a plan was rolled out to establish 17 medical colleges at an investment of Rs. 8,480 crore. Each was designed on 50+ acres with Rs. 500 crore as the estimated cost, ensuring health security for future generations. Phase 2 (2024–25) included Paderu, Markapuram, Madanapalle, Adoni, and Pulivendula. Phase 3 (2025–26) targeted Piduguralla, Amadalapuri, Bapatla, Penugonda, Narsipatnam, Palakollu, and Parvathipuram.

Funding tie-ups were clearly secured: Vizianagaram with NABARD, Rajahmundry, Eluru, and Nandyal with Central support, Machilipatnam under a central scheme, Paderu under a central programme, and others with NABARD support. This careful planning ensured construction momentum.

Rajini highlighted how 50 MBBS seats were sanctioned for Paderu, giving tribal students access to medical education for the first time. Pulivendula toor was allotted 50 seats, but shockingly, the coalition government wrote to the NMC rejecting them, making it the first government in India to refuse approved seats.

The coalition’s neglect is evident: had they continued the works initiated by Jagan, another 750 seats would have been available last year. Instead, in September 2024, official orders were issued halting construction at Adoni and Penugonda, deliberately stalling progress. Ministers now attempt to mislead the public with absurd claims, even ridiculing projects as “swimming pools.”

Rajini exposed the financial exploitation in the coalition’s PPP model. Under Jagan’s GO 108, 50% seats were reserved under government quota, Category B seats fixed at Rs. 12 lakh, and NRI quota at Rs. 20 lakh. Now, the coalition is selling NRI seats at Rs. 57.5 lakh, far above even private colleges, burdening parents and commercialising medical education.

She also recalled that states like Uttarakhand and Karnataka had to withdraw similar PPP experiments in 2025 after public backlash, yet Andhra Pradesh is being pushed into the same disaster.