Council witness heated debate on new medical colleges

Vijayawada:Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council witnessed a heated debate with the ruling coalition members targeting opposition YSRC party for failing to start the new 17 government medical colleges.

The opposition party accused the government of trying to mislead the house on the issue and staged a walkout.

Soon after the council session began with Question Hour on Friday, Bhumireddy Ramagopal Reddy asked health minister Satya Kumar Yadav whether basic facilities are available at the newly constructed medical colleges. He wanted to know the quantum of funds sanctioned for construction of these colleges.

The minister replied that five new medical colleges at Vizianagaram, Rajahmundry, Eluru, Machilipatnam and Nandyal have started first year admissions for total 150 seats in 2023–24. The medical college at Paderu commenced first year admissions in 2024–25 with 50 seats.

Satya Kumar criticised the YSR Congress government for failing to fully construct even these six medical colleges. He maintained that the previous government spent meagre funds, resulting in the works remaining pending.

The minister pointed out that Vizianagaram college had been sanctioned ₹500 crore, but only ₹147.56 crore had been spent. He gave the respective amounts for Rajahmundry college as ₹475 crore and ₹99.96 crore, Eluru ₹525 crore and ₹148.76 crore, Machilipatnam ₹550 crore and ₹230.38 crore, Nandyal ₹475 crore and ₹95.27 crore, and Paderu ₹500 crore and ₹150.34 crore.

Overall, Satya Kumar underlined that while administrative sanction had been given for ₹8,540 crore, only ₹2,125 crore had been spent, amounting to 23 per cent.

The minister disclosed that the National Medical Commission had recently inspected the Government Medical College at Pulivendula. However, the commission did not give permission to start admissions for 2024–25, owing to deficient infrastructure and lack of adequate faculty members.

Likewise, Satya Kumar charged that work at government medical colleges in Markapuram, Parvathipuram, Adoni and other places is also slow, due to which hundreds of students have been unable to pursue medicine.

In contrast, the minister pointed out that AIIMS at Mangalagiri had been constructed in a record 17 months at a cost of ₹1,600 crore.

Satya Kumar kept targeting the previous regime, which led to YSRC members raising a hue and cry in the council. Chairman Koyye Moshen Raju had a tough time putting the house in order as members from both the ruling and opposition started finding fault with others on the issue.

Leader of Opposition Botsa Satyanarayana accused the health minister of misleading the house on the issue and staged a walkout along with his party members in protest.