Six new medical colleges in AP delayed

Andhra Pradesh would have had six more medical colleges, offering 600 seats (at present the state has 11 colleges with 1,100 seats) this academic year but for the hurdles created by the state government.

At a high-level meeting presided over Chief Minister N Chadrababu Naidu, the college managements raised strong objections against the state government's proposal of creating trusts headed by district collectors to run the colleges. The promoters say the proposal would deprive them of any say in managing their institutions.

Confronted by the stiff opposition, Naidu has directed state Health Minister N Janardhan Reddy and senior officials to study the relevant rules in other states.

Even if the government and the promoters agree on the modalities, it is doubtful whether the colleges would start functioning this academic year. For, after the assessing the proposals, the state government is required to forward the applications with ''essentiality certificates'' to the Medical Council of India for final approval.

Moreover, the academic year is already behind schedule, and even the health minister is not sure whether the proposed colleges -- at Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Adilabad, Mahbubnagar, Visakhapatnam and Anantapur districts -- would start functioning this year.