NMC says few private medical colleges under PPP linked to district hospitals, no list maintained: Govt

New Delhi: Only a few private medical colleges in the country are currently linked with district hospitals under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, and no list of such colleges is maintained by the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC), the Union Minister of State for Health, Smt Anupriya Patel, informed the Lok Sabha.

Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, Patel informed that, as per the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) of the National Medical Commission, a few private medical colleges are operating in association with district hospitals under the PPP model.

However, she clarified that MARB does not maintain details or a list of these colleges.

The information was shared in response to queries raised by a Member of Parliament who sought to know whether the Government proposes to link the private medical colleges with local district hospitals to improve and maintain the quality of medical education in the country, if so, the details thereof, and the names of the private medical colleges linked with district hospitals so far.

In response, Patel said, "The Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) of the National Medical Commission has informed that there are a few private medical colleges in the country, operating under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, which are linked to district hospitals. However, the details of such colleges are not maintained by the MARB."

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that, endorsing the public-private partnership model, the Chairman of the National Medical Commission (NMC), Dr Abhijat Sheth, termed it "the way forward" to reshape India's medical education landscape. Dr Sheth made this observation during his maiden visit to Hyderabad. Referring to Gujarat's Brownfield Medical College Policy, Dr Sheth called it a game-changer that transformed the struggling district hospitals into thriving education hubs and encouraged the involvement of the private sector in the medical education sector.

Also read- PPP model is the way forward to reshape medical education in India: NMC Chairman