Amaravati, Nov 11 (IANS) YSR Congress Party President and former Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has slammed Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for what he called privatisation of government medical colleges and warned that when their government returns to power, it will take legal action against anyone involved.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that government medical colleges, which provide free treatment to the poor, are being handed over to private players in the name of the PPP model.
He recalled that one crore people signed a petition organised by YSRCP to oppose privatisation.
“Yet you are pressing ahead. This is unjust. We completely oppose the privatisation of government medical colleges. When our government returns to power, we will take legal action against everyone involved in this matter and will not hesitate to make arrests. If you try to loot public assets through scams, people will not remain silent. They will teach you a fitting lesson,” Jagan said in a post on ‘X’.
“Our government established 17 new medical colleges. We opened five and prepared another three to begin classes. The remaining nine could also be completed by investing Rs. 1,000 crore a year. Why are you not doing that?” asked the YSRCP chief.
“Doesn’t your PPP plan make it clear that this is a well-planned scam? You are selling off colleges that are already complete and those at various stages of construction. Land worth hundreds of crores is being leased for just Rs. 100 an acre. More than half of the medical seats could be sold at private rates. Rs. 1,630 crore in public money is being given to these colleges in the name of Viability Gap Funding (VGF). The government will also pay the salaries of doctors, professors and staff for two years. What is this, if not exploitation? The cost would be Rs. 5 crore a month, or Rs. 120 crore over two years for each college,” Jagan said.
“The land belongs to the government. The buildings are being constructed with government funds. The VGF will also come from public money. The government will even pay the staff salaries. If this is not a scam carried out in the name of private institutions, then what is it?,” the former CM asked.
Stating that all the colleges which the YSRCP government established are teaching hospitals, he said they would provide quality, free multispecialty treatment to the poor. Half the seats would be filled through the convener quota. The remaining seats would also be available at fees far lower than those charged by private colleges.
“We had developed a strong model to ensure that the revenue generated would help run these colleges without financial difficulty. We had also worked with banks to arrange the required funding. These are teaching hospitals. The professors working there and the medical and nursing students studying there would also take part in providing healthcare services. This would make the colleges viable to operate. With such arrangements already in place, why is there any need to sell them under the cover of a PPP model?”
The YSRCP chief mentioned these medical colleges would also be connected to area hospitals, Community Health Centres (CHCs), Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and village clinics in their respective districts. Together, they could form a network that provides quality multispecialty care down to the village level. As the quality of government healthcare improves, private hospitals would also have to provide treatment at affordable prices. Isn’t it unjust to sell off colleges that can deliver all these benefits?
Jagan told Chandrababu Naidu that his government has already weakened the public healthcare system.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that government medical colleges, which provide free treatment to the poor, are being handed over to private players in the name of the PPP model.
He recalled that one crore people signed a petition organised by YSRCP to oppose privatisation.
“Yet you are pressing ahead. This is unjust. We completely oppose the privatisation of government medical colleges. When our government returns to power, we will take legal action against everyone involved in this matter and will not hesitate to make arrests. If you try to loot public assets through scams, people will not remain silent. They will teach you a fitting lesson,” Jagan said in a post on ‘X’.
“Our government established 17 new medical colleges. We opened five and prepared another three to begin classes. The remaining nine could also be completed by investing Rs. 1,000 crore a year. Why are you not doing that?” asked the YSRCP chief.
“Doesn’t your PPP plan make it clear that this is a well-planned scam? You are selling off colleges that are already complete and those at various stages of construction. Land worth hundreds of crores is being leased for just Rs. 100 an acre. More than half of the medical seats could be sold at private rates. Rs. 1,630 crore in public money is being given to these colleges in the name of Viability Gap Funding (VGF). The government will also pay the salaries of doctors, professors and staff for two years. What is this, if not exploitation? The cost would be Rs. 5 crore a month, or Rs. 120 crore over two years for each college,” Jagan said.
“The land belongs to the government. The buildings are being constructed with government funds. The VGF will also come from public money. The government will even pay the staff salaries. If this is not a scam carried out in the name of private institutions, then what is it?,” the former CM asked.
Stating that all the colleges which the YSRCP government established are teaching hospitals, he said they would provide quality, free multispecialty treatment to the poor. Half the seats would be filled through the convener quota. The remaining seats would also be available at fees far lower than those charged by private colleges.
“We had developed a strong model to ensure that the revenue generated would help run these colleges without financial difficulty. We had also worked with banks to arrange the required funding. These are teaching hospitals. The professors working there and the medical and nursing students studying there would also take part in providing healthcare services. This would make the colleges viable to operate. With such arrangements already in place, why is there any need to sell them under the cover of a PPP model?”
The YSRCP chief mentioned these medical colleges would also be connected to area hospitals, Community Health Centres (CHCs), Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and village clinics in their respective districts. Together, they could form a network that provides quality multispecialty care down to the village level. As the quality of government healthcare improves, private hospitals would also have to provide treatment at affordable prices. Isn’t it unjust to sell off colleges that can deliver all these benefits?
Jagan told Chandrababu Naidu that his government has already weakened the public healthcare system.
