Tension at NTRUHS as students clash with police opposing privatisation of government medical colleges

In a protest against the proposed privatisation of newly-established government medical colleges in Andhra Pradesh, student leaders affiliated with the YSRCP students’ wing laid siege to Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences (NTRUHS) on Monday. The protest witnessed high tension as students clashed with police, resulting in a brief scuffle. 

The protesting students demanded that the 17 government medical colleges, established during the tenure of former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, should not be handed over to private partners under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. They warned that such a move would deprive poor and meritorious students of affordable medical education.

Addressing the gathering, YSRCP State student wing president Panuganti Chaitanya and State working president A. Ravichandra emphasised that these colleges were established with a vision to make medical education accessible to underprivileged students. They pointed out that the Jagan government had allocated ₹8,480 crore for the development of these institutions. “In the 2023–24 academic year alone, 150 MBBS seats each were sanctioned to five new colleges in Vizianagaram, Rajahmundry, Eluru, Machilipatnam, and Nandyal, totalling 750 seats,” they said. 

Additional seats were approved later for colleges in Pulivendula, Paderu, Madanapalle, Markapuram, and Adoni. However, after the change in government, the coalition administration allegedly failed to pursue further approvals or expansion efforts, they added.

They further criticised Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, HRD Minister Nara Lokesh, and the TDP-JSP-BJP alliance for remaining silent on the issue. “Privatisation will lead to commercialisation, and students unable to afford lakhs of rupees will be pushed out of medical education,” they alleged.