India's first PPP-model medical colleges to be set up in Madhya Pradesh's tribal districts
BHOPAL: Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda joined the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav on Tuesday, in laying the foundation of two medical colleges in two tribal-dominated districts of the state. The two medical colleges which will be built in Dhar district of western MP and Betul district of central MP respectively, will be the first medical colleges in the country, to come up under the public-private partnership (PPP) model. The two colleges are part of four PPP-based medical colleges which are planned to be developed in the StateDhar, Betul, Katni, and Panna. They will be linked with existing district hospitals to strengthen both medical education and healthcare service delivery. Under this model, the state government has provided up to 25 acres of land on lease, while private service providers will construct academic and clinical infrastructure, including medical college buildings, hostels, laboratories, and residential complexes. The associated district hospitals will be upgraded in strict accordance with National Medical Commission (NMC) norms, while remaining under the administrative control of the State Government to ensure uninterrupted public health services. Terming the occasion as a historic milestone, Nadda noted that the PPP model reflects a forward-looking approach to expanding medical education and healthcare delivery. He highlighted that Indias healthcare system, once focused primarily on curative care, has undergone a paradigm shift since 2017 moving towards preventive, promotive, and holistic healthcare. While highlighting the key achievements in the sphere of health and family welfare, the union minister informed that institutional deliveries in the country have risen to nearly 89%, driven by ASHA workers grassroots mobilisation. Indias decline in the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has been more than twice the global average. Over 40 crore people have been screened for hypertension, with 6.80 crore diagnosed and under treatment. Over 40 crore screened for diabetes, with 4.60 crore diagnosed and receiving care. Cancer screening initiatives have reached millions, identifying thousands of cases early. He emphasised that systematic screening and early detection are enabling timely treatment and improved health outcomes. Further, he underscored the role of over 1.82 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) in delivering comprehensive primary healthcare, particularly maternal and child health services, from pregnancy to safe institutional delivery and vaccination. He also noted the success of the U-WIN portal, which enables real-time immunisation surveillance for approximately 2.5 crore pregnant women and 2.5 crore children nationwide, supported by Anganwadi and ASHA workers. The union minister also highlighted the unprecedented growth in medical education infrastructure in the country, which was reflected by the number of medical colleges having increased from 387 in 2014 to 819 currently, MBBS seats having more than doubled from 51,000 to over 1.28 lakh. The government is committed to adding 75,000 new medical seats by 2029, strengthening Indias healthcare human resources. While terming the foundation laying ceremony of the two medical colleges in Dhar and Betul as historic and unprecedented milestone in the healthcare sector, the MP CM Dr Mohan Yadav, announced that after Dhar, Betul, Panna and Katni (foundation laying ceremonies of the last two will be held later), similar medical colleges will be built in Bhind, Morena, Khargone, Ashoknagar, Guna, Balaghat, Tikamgarh, Sidhi, and Shajapur districts. The medical college in Dhar district is being constructed on 25 acres of land at a cost of Rs 260 crore. The Swami Vivekananda Shiksha Dham Foundation has partnered with the government for this medical college. Until 2002-03, there were only 5 medical colleges in the state. Now, the number of medical colleges in the state has increased to 33. In the last two years, 6 government medicalcolleges have been started in the state. These include medical colleges in the tribal areas of Singrauli and Sheopur. The state government has sanctioned 354 posts of senior resident doctors, the MP CM said. Continuing the sickle cell anaemia campaign in the state, more than 1.25 crore people have been screened. In Dhar, more than 15 lakh people have been screened under the sickle cell program. Upgradation of 800 beds and sanctioning of 810 new posts for doctors are being provided in the hospitals of Tikamgarh, Neemuch, Singrauli, Sheopur, and Dindori districts of the state, the CM informed.
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