Bhopal, Aug 25 (IANS) – Madhya Pradesh is making a renewed push for the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model in healthcare, this time with a focus on medical education.
Building on past experiments, the state is entering fresh agreements with private partners to set up new medical colleges under a Union government-backed initiative.
BJP National President and Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda will visit Jabalpur on Monday to formally launch the programme. During his visit, contracts will be signed for establishing medical colleges in Dhar, Betul, Panna, and Katni, all under the PPP model.
Alongside these agreements, Nadda will inaugurate two government-run medical colleges in Sheopur and Singrauli, furthering efforts to expand access to healthcare and medical education in underserved districts.
Madhya Pradesh was among the first states to pilot PPP healthcare initiatives. In 2015, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government handed over management of Alirajpur District Hospital to a Gujarat-based non-profit in an effort to improve maternal and infant health outcomes.
However, the project faced public backlash and a legal challenge over the lack of transparent tendering, leading the Madhya Pradesh High Court to halt it within months. The episode highlighted the need for strong oversight and community trust in PPP ventures.
Other states like Karnataka, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh had already explored PPP healthcare even before NITI Aayog formally recommended the model. The approach has since gained regulatory legitimacy.
Under Clause 2(5) of the National Medical Commission’s Establishment of Medical College Regulations, 1999, governments can allow private entities to establish medical colleges using existing public hospital infrastructure, provided the hospital has at least 300 beds and adequate facilities.
India’s healthcare system continues to face major infrastructure gaps. According to the National Health Profile 2021, the country has only 0.6 hospital beds per 1,000 people, well below the WHO’s recommended 3 beds.
The private sector dominates healthcare with 58% of hospitals, 29% of beds, and 81% of doctors. To close the gap, the government has significantly expanded medical education.
Since 2014:
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Medical colleges have grown by 71% (from 387 to 660).
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MBBS seats have nearly doubled, up 97% (from 51,348 to 101,043).
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PG seats increased by 110% (from 31,185 to 65,335), including 13,246 DNB/FNB seats and 1,621 CPS PG seats.
Uttar Pradesh alone has added 27 new medical colleges under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS). For instance, the medical college at Siddharth Nagar began with 100 MBBS seats in 2021–22, approved by the National Medical Commission (NMC). NMC regulations also allow medical colleges to apply for increased intake once initial recognition is granted.
Across India, about 11 medical colleges currently operate under the PPP model as of 2025.
While Madhya Pradesh’s earlier Alirajpur experiment serves as a cautionary tale, the state’s renewed push emphasizes the need for transparency, accountability, and strong oversight to ensure PPP success in healthcare education.