Vijayawada: State Medical and Health Minister Satyakumar announced that the newly established medical colleges under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) system will offer free seats. Despite financial challenges, the state government has decided to complete the construction of these colleges using the P-4 system, with government participation in management. Ownership rights will be reduced based on the funds spent by the government, and there is potential for additional funding from the Central Government under the Viability Fund.
The Minister revealed that the previous Vaikapa government had only contributed 14 percent of the funds required for the construction and development of medical colleges. He made these comments while addressing the media during a complaint reception session via the ‘Varadhi’ initiative at the BJP state office in Vijayawada.
In a separate event, Minister Satyakumar also launched ten Integrated Counseling and Testing Center (ICTC) vans worth Rs. 3.60 crore to provide HIV testing and medical assistance across the state. These vans will directly reach people to conduct tests, contributing to the government’s ongoing efforts to reduce HIV-AIDS cases. There are currently 2.22 lakh HIV patients in the state, with 42,000 beneficiaries receiving pensions.
