AP to lease out Chittoor govt hospital to Apollo

Hyderabad, July 2: The AP government is going to grant permission to Apollo hospitals management to open a private medical college by using the government hospital in Chittoor. The 300-bed Chittoor government hospital is always busy with about 600 out-patients daily. As per rules, anyone who wants to establish a medical college has to provide medical services in a hospital for minimum three years. Hence, Apollo management requested the government through a letter to give Chittoor government hospital in the name of clinical attachment, so that they could open a medical college. In this regard, the government had agreed to give the government hospital on lease to Apollo for a period of three years, starting from next year, in the name of clinical attachment. The government appointed a five-member committee and directed it to inspect the hospital on Friday and to submit its report. NTR Health University VC will be the president, Chittoor district Hospital Superintendent is convener and Director of Medical Education, Vaidya Vidhana Parishad Commissioner and representatives of Apollo management will be the members of the committee. This is the first time that a government hospital is being handed over to private managements to establish a private medical college in the State. By doing so, a new medical college with 150 MBBS seats will start from 2016. But it should be pointed out here that a medical college, which has taken government hospital in Manipal under clinical attachment had not withdrawn from the lease even after 20 years.