Vijayawada: YSRCP Doctors Wing NTR District Chairman Dr Ambati Naga Radhakrishna Yadav said that his party has strongly opposed the state government’s move to privatise government medical colleges under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. He visited the NEET Parents’ Association members who are on a relay hunger strike at Dharna Chowk here on Thursday. Protesting parents expressed anguish that privatisation would destroy decades of effort to make medical education affordable and accessible.

They demanded an increase in government medical seats and strict regulation of private college fees to safeguard merit-based education. They warned that the PPP model would push lakhs of middleclass and poor students out of reach of medical education. Radhakrishna criticising the government’s refusal to invest its 40% share in new medical colleges, he alleged that the ruling party prioritises profits over people.

Recalling that the YSRCP government had earlier established five new medical colleges and added 680 PG seats, Ambati vowed that the party would continue to fight until the PPP model is withdrawn, ensuring education and healthcare remain the rights of all citizens.