Vijayawada: Health and medical minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav on Wednesday accused the previous YSRCP government of focusing more on constructing party offices than on setting up medical colleges. Speaking during a short discussion in the Legislative Council on the ‘Medical Colleges-PPP Model,’ the minister alleged that former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy even spent Rs 451 crore on a palace but neglected the needs of poor medical students.

Satya Kumar defended the coalition government’s decision to establish new colleges under the public–private partnership (PPP) model, dismissing opposition claims that it amounted to privatisation. “Those who cannot distinguish between PPP and privatisation should not have served as Chief Minister for five years,” he remarked, pointing out that projects worth Rs 8.44 lakh crore are underway across India under the National Infrastructure Pipeline through PPP. He cited Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand as states where medical colleges under PPP are running successfully.

Outlining the framework, he said each PPP medical college will have 150 MBBS seats and 625 hospital beds. Outpatient services will be free, while 70 per cent of inpatient beds will be reserved free for the poor.

Half of the convener quota seats will also be offered at no cost. After 33 years, ownership of these colleges will revert entirely to the government.

He clarified that the government retains land ownership and full oversight, with no question of land sales. The minister further charged that of the Rs 8,480 crore sanctioned earlier for 17 medical colleges, the YSRCP government spent only Rs 1,550 crore, using mostly central and NABARD funds. He contrasted this with the current government’s investments, while accusing opposition MLCs of staging a walkout to escape debate.