Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil recently announced the plan during a press conference in Mysuru. However, All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) said the move would lead to further privatisation and commercialisation of medical education in the State.
In its statement, the student's body said, "Education -especially medical education- is not a commodity for sale, but a social right that the government itself must ensure. Instead of succumbing to the dictates of corporate lobbies and others, the government must allocate adequate funds from the public exchequer to strengthen and expand fully government-run medical institutions.”
Also read- 10 new medical colleges in Andhra to come up under PPP model
Commenting on this, AIDSO district secretary Nithin told The Hindu, "This proposal, announced during a press conference in Mysuru by the Minister, is yet another step towards the privatisation, commercialisation, and corporatisation of education, particularly medical education. The PPP model, in the name of development, is nothing but a tool to hand over public resources to private profiteers. Such models have led to exorbitant fees, erosion of academic standards, and denial of access to students from poor and middle-class backgrounds."
The AIDSO has called upon students, teachers, and all progressive sections of society to resist this “anti-people move” and demand that all new medical colleges be established and run solely under public ownership and democratic control.
Medical Dialogues had previously reported that the Andhra Pradesh government announced a public-private partnership model for setting up 10 new medical colleges for faster implementation, higher quality standards and wider healthcare access in the state. As a part of this plan, 10 medical colleges will be developed and operated under PPP mode for speed, quality and state-wide reach, which will complement the ongoing government efforts to operate approved institutions.
Under the PPP scheme, Andhra Pradesh will get 110 additional undergraduate seats per year for its students under a seat-sharing pattern of 75 convener quota seats per 150-seat college, resulting in 11 additional state-quota seats per college compared to the earlier structure.
Also read- PPP model is the way forward to reshape medical education in India: NMC Chairman
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