Government's Aim: Medical Education for the Poor
His government's priority is to increase medical education among poor students, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said. He revealed plans for the construction of 10 medical colleges in the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. With this model, 110 more medical seats will come to poor students than are allocated by the Jagan Mohan Reddy government.
PPP Model Explained
- PPP does not refer to privatization.
- It enables private partners to contribute towards betterment of services.
- In 33 years, the medical colleges constructed under PPP will be owned by the government in full.
- Some states such as Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and Jharkhand already adopt this approach to enhance district hospitals and medical centers.
- PPP has also been applied in IIT Madras, IIM Udaipur, and IIT Nagpur for expanding infrastructure.
Faster Completion of Medical Colleges
- Under the YSRCP proposal, it would take 15 years to complete medical colleges.
- The present government has proposed to finish them within two years with the PPP model.
- This proposal is likely to decrease the financial outgo by ₹3,700 crore and save ₹500 crore every year in operational costs.
Medical Seats Distribution
- According to the 2023 policy of the Jagan government, 15% of seats were set aside as All-India quota, decreasing availability for local students.
- In PPP-model colleges, there will be no All-India quota.
- Convener quota will increase to 50%, offering 11 more free seats per college to needy students.
- In 10 new colleges, this translates to 110 more seats with only government fee charged.
Stand on Caesarean Deliveries
- Andhra Pradesh accounts for the highest rate of caesarean deliveries in the country.
- Close to 90% of deliveries in private hospitals are caesareans.
- The government intends to regulate this trend by interacting with private hospitals and doctors.
Sanjeevani Project for the Poor
- Sanjeevani project, with the support of the Bill Gates Foundation and Tata firms, hopes to deliver modern health care at the doorstep.
- It began in Kuppam on a pilot scale and will be scaled up to Chittoor district and subsequently across the state in two years.
- Features:
- 41 types of health tests for all citizens.
- Electronic health records available in every hospital.
- Concentration on prevention of 10 major diseases by expert panels.
- Insurance coverage: ₹25 lakh for the poor and ₹2.5 lakh for all citizens.
Status of Medical Colleges under YSRCP
- The erstwhile government approved 17 new medical colleges estimated to cost ₹8,480 crore.
- In four years, only ₹1,550.39 crore (18.2%) was utilized.
- At this rate, completion would be in 15 years.
- Work on building construction has yet to begin in 11 colleges.
