Andhra Health Minister defends PPP model, refutes Jagan’s ‘privatisation’ claim on medical colleges

Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare Minister Satya Kumar Yadav on Saturday (September 13, 2025) wrote a letter to former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who had criticised the TDP-led NDA government for “privatising” government medical colleges under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.

Dismissing the allegation, Mr. Satya Kumar Yadav accused Mr. Jagan of misleading people. He clarified that under the PPP model, the government retains control of the projects, while private partners bring in the required resources. Privatisation, on the other hand, means handing over projects entirely to private entities, he said.

Explaining why the PPP route became necessary, the Minister recalled that the YSRCP government had proposed setting up 17 new Government Medical Colleges (GMCs) at an estimated cost of ₹8,480 crore, but spent only ₹1,451 crore towards bills.

He said a total of ₹2,425 crore was approved for five colleges in the second phase, but the YSRCP government could spend only ₹745 crore. After the NDA government took office, it had to bear the remaining ₹1,680 crore, he pointed out.

Regarding the seven colleges planned in the third phase, the Minister said the previous government had completed only 14.78% of the works. Against the proposed ₹3,530 crore expenditure, it had spent merely ₹288 crore. “Does Mr. Jagan expect the NDA government to spend ₹4,688 crore in just one year when he could spend only ₹1,461 crore in four years?” he asked.

Highlighting these figures, Mr. Satya Kumar Yadav argued that Mr. Jagan’s plan for 17 new medical colleges was riddled with gaps and could only be sustained in the long run if implemented in the PPP mode. “This is the compelling reason for the NDA government opting for the PPP model to develop medical colleges. The compulsion was created by you,” the Minister wrote, adding that if the present government continued to spend at the pace of its predecessor, it would take 23 years to complete the colleges.