Jagan demands a rollback on move to ‘privatise’ medical colleges in Andhra Pradesh

Launching a scathing attack on the NDA government over the proposal to ‘privatise the medical colleges’, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has said that the move would make medical education unaffordable for students from poor financial backgrounds and lead to exploitation by private hospitals.

“Why is the government ready to spend ₹2 lakh crore on creating infrastructure in Amaravati, but not ₹5,000 crore to complete the medical colleges which will benefit the poor and strengthen rural healthcare infrastructure,” asked the former Chief Minister after inspecting the under-construction medical college at Makavarapalem in Narsipatnam Constituency of Anakapalli district on Thursday.

Addressing the media, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said the YSRCP, during its tenure, had planned to set up 17 medical colleges, with one for every seven to eight Assembly constituencies, to make medical education and advanced healthcare accessible to the poor. The idea was to prevent people from depending on private hospitals or travelling to other districts for treatment.

During the 2023–24 financial year, he claimed, five new colleges were started in Vizianagaram, Rajamahendravaram, Eluru, Machilipatnam and Nandyal.

Classes also began in these colleges, adding 800 more medical seats to the total. Medical colleges at Paderu and Pulivendula had started operating when the NDA government assued the office, he said.

Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy accused Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of halting the works at the remaining ten colleges by issuing a stop memo in September 2024.

He claimed that the total number of medical seats would have increased to 4,910, including 2,360 free seats for economically disadvantaged students and the rest at a low cost, enabling thousands of families to access affordable medical education and healthcare.

The YSRCP chief stated that between 1923 and 2019, the North Coastal Andhra region had only two government medical colleges— Andhra Medical College in Visakhapatnam and RIMS in Srikakulam.

“The British established the AMC. My father late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had established the RIMS. Mr. Naidu failed to build any college during his tenure. The YSRCP government had launched the medical college projects at Narsipatnam, Paderu, Parvathipuram-Manyam, and Vizianagaram, besides a Super Speciality Hospital and Kidney Research Centre at Palasa,” he said.

He slammed the local MLA and Assembly Speaker Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu for making ‘unfounded’ remarks about the Makavarapalem Medical College.

Displaying the G.O. No. 204, Mr. Jagan said the foundation stone for the 600-bed college was laid in 2022. The college was designed to offer 150 seats annually. “The Speaker, by spreading false information, had insulted the dignity of his office,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Jagan landed at Visakhapatnam airport and proceeded to Makavarapalem to review the ongoing construction works. He received a rousing welcome from YSRCP workers who lined up along the route to greet him. Despite heavy rain and waterlogging in parts of Anakapalli district, huge crowds gathered along the route, and his road journey lasted nearly five hours.