VIJAYAWADA: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has once again urged the Andhra Pradesh government to adopt the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to strengthen healthcare delivery across the State.
In a fresh communique, the Centre has highlighted the widening gap between demand and availability of medical services, and stressed that the PPP model could be the most effective way to bridge it.
On January 12, Vijay Nehra, Joint Secretary of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, addressed a detailed letter to State Health Secretary Saurabh Gaur.
The letter, accompanied by a 27-page set of guidelines, explained how PPP initiatives could expand healthcare services to a wider population.
The Centre also recalled an earlier letter from Union Health Minister JP Nadda, who had emphasised the PPP model as a key tool for expanding medical education.
The latest communique outlined five priority areas where the PPP model should be implemented. They include nuclear medicine, mobile medical units (MMUs), dental clinics, radiology services, and cancer day care centres.
To ensure sustainability, the Centre recommended models such as Equip-Operate-Maintain (EOM) and Operate-and-Maintain (O&M), with private partners engaged for periods ranging from five to 10 years. Payment mechanisms for these partnerships were also detailed.
The Health Ministry noted that advanced services like PET-CT, SPECT imaging, and radiotherapy are scarce in tier-2 and semi-urban areas, despite their importance in treating cancer, cardiovascular, and neurological diseases.
With cancer cases rising rapidly, the Centre urged immediate action to expand nuclear medicine facilities under the PPP model.
Concerns were also raised about dental care.