VIJAYAWADA: Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav has launched a scathing attack on former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, accusing him of massive corruption in medical college projects, and obstructing the State development.
Speaking at a BJP event in Vijayawada on Thursday, Yadav alleged that Jagan’s administration siphoned off Rs 100 crore per medical college as commissions from contractors, inflating project costs from Rs 400 crore to Rs 500-600 crore without acquiring private land.
He claimed that only 18% of the planned medical college constructions were completed in four years, funded entirely by Central resources, with no State funds allocated.
He slammed Jagan for opposing the coalition government’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model for new medical colleges, which aims to enhance healthcare and educational opportunities. He highlighted that the YSRCP regime had allotted 50% of seats in government medical colleges to private quota, undermining poor students’ aspirations.
The Health Minister emphasised that the PPP model, successfully implemented globally and in States like Karnataka, would add 220 medical seats (110 government, 110 private), benefiting students. He dismissed Jagan’s Narsipatnam tour as a political stunt to mislead the public, noting that only Rs 10.8 crore of the Rs 500 crore sanctioned for Narsipatnam medical college was spent.
Agriculture Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu accused Jagan of plundering public wealth, and prioritising personal gains over public welfare. He alleged that Jagan’s policies led to the sale of Gangavaram Port, and attempts to privatise Visakhapatnam Steel Plant lands, causing financial strain for the current government.
Atchannaidu warned that Jagan’s opposition to the PPP model could jeopardise 1,750 medical and postgraduate seats, citing past mismanagement, including oxygen shortages leading to patient deaths and neglected hospitals.
He further accused Jagan of creating obstacles for development projects like Amaravati and Polavaram, resorting to false propaganda post-election losses. He exposed Jagan’s failure to review medical college progress during his tenure, and obstructing initiatives like the Tribal University.
The Minister challenged Jagan to an open debate, alleging that YSRCP leaders avoided discussions in the Assembly and Council.
He reaffirmed that the coalition government is committed to completing medical colleges within two years under the PPP model, ensuring public ownership and enhanced healthcare access, while urging Jagan to apologise for his governance failures.
Network hosps urged not to stop ‘Vaidya Seva’
Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav announced that the State government, led by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, is actively working to resolve issues faced by network hospitals under the Dr NTR Health Services Scheme. He urged hospital managements not to halt services, emphasising the government’s commitment to public healthcare. He revealed that the previous regime left behind unpaid dues of approximately Rs 2,500 crore to network hospitals. Since taking office, the coalition government has cleared Rs 3,800 crore, with an additional `670 crore uploaded by officials for disbursement. Around Rs 2,000 crore in pending bills are currently under scrutiny. An additional Rs 250 crore was released to address immediate concerns, the Health Minister said
