YSRCP chief to submit 1 crore signatures to Guv against privatisation of medical colleges in Andhra

Amaravati, Dec 10 (PTI) YSRCP supremo Jagan Mohan Reddy will meet Governor S Abdul Nazeer on December 18 to submit one crore signatures collected against the privatisation of ten new government medical colleges in Andhra Pradesh.

According to a press release, Reddy will brief the governor on "widespread public opposition" to the privatisation move and formally present the signatures gathered through the party’s statewide mass mobilisation campaign.

"Reddy will meet Nazeer on December 18 to formally present the public objection against the privatisation of ten new government medical colleges in Andhra Pradesh," the release said.

Meanwhile, senior YSRCP leader and former minister Botcha Satyanarayana criticised the NDA coalition government, alleging rising public opposition to the proposed privatisation of newly established government medical colleges.

Addressing a press conference at the Vijayanagaram YSRCP district office, Satyanarayana said the party had collected one crore signatures opposing the proposal.

"Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is prioritising corporate interests over public welfare by attempting to hand over the new government medical colleges under the guise of PPP," he said.

The opposition leader claimed that the state is witnessing unprecedented public anger, with lakhs of people voluntarily joining the movement against the alleged privatisation of medical colleges.

He alleged that Naidu is favouring corporate interests, adding that "no government in the past had ever handed over crucial public healthcare institutions to private players." Satyanarayana recalled that the erstwhile YSRCP government between 2019 and 2024 initiated 17 medical colleges, one in each district, and completed seven, with admissions already underway in five before the current NDA coalition came to power.

The former minister alleged that the TDP-led government is now seeking to privatise ten new medical colleges, including operational ones, claiming it "betrays the purpose for which they were established." He questioned whether any private institution or corporate hospital would provide free medical services to the poor, observing that privatisation would destroy affordability and accessibility for common people.

He further said a government medical college typically takes nearly seven years to become functional, claiming that the erstwhile YSRCP government had completed them in just three years, while the Centre allowed AIIMS Mangalagiri to stagnate for nearly a decade.

The party has also commenced a statewide handover of signature boxes collected during its mass campaign opposing the privatisation move.

The boxes, containing lakhs of signatures from each region, were submitted to YSRCP district presidents across all constituencies, party sources said, adding that this marks a critical stage in mobilisation.

There was no immediate response from the TDP. PTI MS STH SSK