Central apathy: No new medical colleges in last seven years in Telangana, Kerala

HYDERABAD: The two southern States of Telangana and Kerala were given a raw deal in the last seven years when it came to the sanction of new medical colleges by the Centre.

This was revealed in a reply to an RTI filed by an activist named Inaganti Ravikumar. Tamil Nadu, which went to polls recently, got 11 new medical colleges, while Karnataka got four and Andhra Pradesh, three. The Centre sanctioned several medical colleges under Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) to the States.

The colleges will be attached to the government district or referral hospitals. Under the scheme, the Centre will bear 60 per cent of the cost of the new medical colleges.

In the last seven years, the Centre has sanctioned new medical colleges in three phases. Telangana and Kerala did not get even a single college in any of the phases.

But, AP got three colleges in the third phase. According to the RTI reply, as many as 157 new medical colleges were sanctioned across the country at an estimated cost of Rs 41,332.61 crore. Out of the total amount,Rs 26,715.96 was borne by the Centre.

So far the Centre has released Rs 14,802 crore to the beneficiary States. “The Central government’s partisan attitude is clearly visible in sanctioning of medical colleges. Tamil Nadu, which went to polls, got 14 medical colleges.

All other Southern States were neglected. BJP-ruled States have benefited the most,” said activist Ravikumar. Pointing out that Uttar Pradesh, got the highest number of 27 colleges, Rajasthan- 23, Madhya Pradesh- 14, West Bengal- 11, and Tamil Nadu- 11, Ravikumar added that injustice had been done to the two Telugu speaking States and Kerala. Ravikumar said that the Telugu States were also neglected when it came to the upgradation of medical colleges and increase of number of PG medical seats.

Of the total 4,058 PG seats which were increased in government medical colleges across the country, while Telangana got only 219 new seats, AP got 410 seats in the first phase.

Under Phase I, the Centre increased 1,741 PG seats across the country in medical colleges, but Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala got nothing. “In Phase II, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat got more PG seats,” he said, quoting the RTI reply.