PMC’s 1st medical college to come up under PPP model

With the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) moving to reduce its own expenditure and introduce public-private partnership (PPP) models in the public healthcare system, yet another major project is likely to come up under PPP. As the tenure of civic corporators comes to an end on Monday, the civic chief has presented a proposal to start the civic body’s first medical college, Bharat Ratna medical college, on a PPP basis, which the PMC believes will reduce the financial burden on the civic body. The current PPP projects in healthcare have been heavily criticised by public healthcare experts. The latest option will now be explored by the civic body as the last general body has now given its stamp of approval.

Ravindra Bhinwade, additional municipal commissioner, said, “The general body has given its in-principle approval to the project and now we will explore the possibility of starting the civic body’s first medical college under PPP. The share of public investment and private involvement will be explored later, given that the medical college fulfills all required permissions. This is as per the 2021 government resolution (GR) passed by the state government which encourages exploring the PPP option for government medical colleges. A total of 13 such medical colleges can explore the PPP model option.”

The 2021 GR includes funding for the construction of a new government medical college through PPP; making resources available to increase specialisation of healthcare, and undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in medical education; increasing convenience postgraduate teaching in existing government medical colleges; creating skilled manpower, established paramedics, and postgraduate colleges; and creating manpower in the area to protect the flow of patients and staff. It mentions suitable for private partner investment, drafting a settlement agreement to get a refund, effectively achieving targets set by 2030 and the proposed policy, and setting up an independent mechanism (pravadhkaran/ mahamandal/similar mechanism) for implementation.

Most of the current public healthcare facilities within the PMC are run through PPP, especially diagnostics and dialysis services in hospitals. Governments across the country have been promoting PPP models to reduce expenditure and improve services, however healthcare activists are also questioning the government as to how difficult it is to run a hospital if the government can build a hospital. Hindustan Times