6 new medical colleges in PPP model to come up in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government, in a press statement on Thursday stated that six new medical colleges would be coming up in the state based on a public-private-partnership (PPP) model. 

The statement mentioned the places where the colleges are slated to come up which includes Mahoba, Mainpuri, Bagpat, Hamirpur, Hathras, and Kasganj, and it added that the investors for these colleges would be decided soon.

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From the central government, Rs 1012 crore would be given as financial support under the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme. The total expenditure amount on these colleges would be Rs 1,525 crore, with one college receiving an average amount of Rs 160 crore. The colleges would be set up under the one-district-one-medical-college initiative of the state government which is funded under the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme of the central government. The scheme is used to provide capital support to PPP projects, making it financially viable. 

The principal secretary, medical education, Alok Kumar told Hindustan Times, "Once the period of lease is over, the investor will return the college to the state government." The district hospital would be attached to the medical college since it is a mandatory requirement to run a medical college. 

Dr Abhishek Shukla, secretary-general, Association of International Doctors said, "This way the district hospital will get more doctors as all faculty members of clinical departments will run OPDs in the district hospital only. Also the medical college will have a hospital attached from day one." 

Medical colleges based on the PPP model have already been planned by the state in 16 districts with the investors in two medical colleges in Sambhal and Maharajganj already finalised. The new press release has revealed that new medical colleges would be set up in six more districts. The investor would get the district hospital and land for the medical colleges on a 33-year lease. The government is planning to set up new medical colleges in Amethi, Oraiyya, Bijnor, Bulandshahr, Chandauli, Gonda, Kaushambi, Kushinagar, Lakhimpur, Pilibhit, Sonbhadra, and Sultanpur under the next phase. 

The Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported about the allocation made by the UP government for establishing new medical colleges. The government reportedly had allocated Rs 21,000 crore for the establishment of 14 new medical colleges. In its budget for 2022-23, the UP government outlined its five-year vision.