Uttar Pradesh introduces scheme to attract private investment in medical colleges
The state aims to establish medical colleges and teaching hospitals in 16 unserved districts through public-private partnerships.
The Uttar Pradesh Medical Education Department has introduced the Private Medical College (Unserved Districts) Scheme, 2022, to encourage private investment in medical education. According to Business Standard, the scheme focuses on developing integrated medical colleges and teaching hospitals in 16 districts identified as unserved during the formulation of the programme.
The initiative seeks to increase undergraduate medical seats and improve specialist healthcare access without relying solely on government funding. All supported colleges must have a minimum capacity of 100 undergraduate medical seats and comply with National Medical Commission regulations.
Under the scheme, private entities can choose from different development models. Mode A requires the private partner to provide an operational hospital and land, while Mode B involves the state providing land at a nominal annual lease of Re 1 for a private hospital operator.
In Mode C, the government provides a district hospital on an 'as is where is' basis, and the private partner provides the land. This mode requires the partner to allocate 500 square metres of hospital space for public health functions managed by the Health Department or the Directorate General of Health Services.
A second model involves the Union government's viability-gap-funding framework, which combines government land and district hospitals with private development. The concession period for these arrangements is 33 years, with specific conditions for extensions or the return of infrastructure to the state.