Gujarat model: Maharashtra to take PPP route to start new medical colleges

MUMBAI: Maharashtra is moving the Gujarat way. To increase the number of medical seats, the government has decided to start new medical schools under the public private partnership model. Under the scheme, the private partner will set up the college and hospital on government land, while fees will be higher than at government colleges.
The state plans to start medical colleges in Nandurbar in 2020-21 and in Satara, Alibaug and Amravati in 2021-22.It proposed an outlay of 2,525 crore for school education and 1,300 crore for schemes for higher and technical education. It will also set up 12 centres of excellence by converting existing government institutions in cities, including engineering colleges in Nagpur, Aurangabad, Mumbai and Pune, pharmaceutical colleges in Ratnagiri, Karad and Aurangabad, and polytechnics in Nagpur, Ratnagiri and Pune.
Quoting the example of Shirur's zilla parishad school, the state announced it would convert all schools on its model and allocated 5,000 crore for the project. "We will set up state-of-the-art facilities, smart classrooms, well-equipped libraries, science labs, sports facilities and internet connectivity in these schools. Even their teachers would be trained," finance minister Ajit Pawar said.
It was also proposed to set up a sports university at Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune along with an Olympic Bhavan in the same city.
On the PPP model, minster for medical education Amit Deshmukh told TOI, "To increase number of doctors, there ought to be at least one medical college in every district. In pockets with a large population, there can be multiple colleges. The PPP model will see more colleges come up and it boost the count of doctor graduates."
The state may adopt the Centre's scheme fully. The draft 'Model Concession Agreement for Setting Up Medical Colleges Under PPP' has been designed based on similar arrangements currently in Gujarat and Karnataka.