Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government’s move to establish 10 new medical colleges under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model has ignited a major political storm. While Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu maintains that the proposal will not amount to privatisation, the opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has strongly objected, warning that the policy could restrict access to affordable medical education and healthcare.
Government’s Position
The Naidu government argues that PPP is a practical way to address financial constraints and ensure timely completion of projects. Officials emphasize that ownership and administrative control will remain with the state, with free outpatient services promised for patients. The administration has pointed to delays and incomplete projects from the previous regime, saying private participation will help bridge infrastructure and staffing gaps.
YSRCP’s Concerns
The YSRCP, however, has taken a firm stance against the proposal. Party leaders argue that introducing private players into medical education will push up fees, making MBBS education inaccessible to poor and middle-class students. They also fear that district teaching hospitals, attached to medical colleges, may lose their character as affordable centres of healthcare if profit motives dominate.
Highlighting its own record, the YSRCP says that during its tenure it sanctioned 17 government medical colleges and nearly doubled the number of MBBS seats in the state. The party insists that health and education must remain fully within the public sector.
YS Jagan’s Warning
Former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has been vocal in his opposition. In a recent statement, he accused the government of attempting “backdoor privatisation” and warned private players against participating in the bidding process.
“Medical colleges built with people’s money cannot be handed over to private hands. Any company that comes forward to bid for these colleges should remember: a future YSRCP government will reclaim them back into the public sector,” Jagan declared.
His warning has been interpreted as both a political challenge to the government and a direct caution to contractors considering participation in the PPP tenders.
Vidadala Rajini’s Letter to Health Minister
Adding weight to the opposition, former Health Minister Vidadala Rajini wrote a detailed letter to current Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav on September 16, 2025 . In her strongly worded response, Rajini accused the government of misrepresenting facts and argued that the PPP model would make healthcare less accessible and medical education “unendurably burdensome” for students. She reminded the minister that under YSRCP, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, seven medical colleges—including Eluru, Rajamahendravaram, Machilipatnam, Vizianagaram, Nandyal, Paderu, and Pulivendula—had already reached operational or near-completion stages. Rajini also criticised the TDP government for asking the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) to withdraw permission for Pulivendula Medical College, calling it an act of “deceit.”
Wider Implications
The controversy has now become a flashpoint in Andhra politics. For the ruling party, the PPP model is about efficiency and resource management. For the YSRCP and its supporters, it is about protecting equity, social justice, and public welfare.
As tenders are floated and private interest is tested, Jagan’s warning and Rajini’s letter add uncertainty for bidders, raising questions about the long-term stability of the policy.
The debate over Andhra Pradesh’s medical colleges is no longer just about infrastructure—it is about the future of medical education and public healthcare in the state. While the government assures safeguards, YSRCP’s opposition, backed by Jagan’s warning to bidders and Rajini’s letter of protest, underscores a powerful counter-narrative: that essential sectors must remain in the hands of the people, not private operators.
The coming months will reveal whether Andhra Pradesh pursues its PPP experiment or bows to growing pressure to keep medical colleges firmly under government control.