Is Chandrababu Naidu 'Looting' Public Assets by Dismantling Arogyasri?

Amaravati, Sep 5 (NationPress) Former Chief Minister and YSRCP President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday accused Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of ‘looting’ public assets by privatizing government medical colleges and dismantling the free healthcare initiative Arogyasri.

He claimed that Naidu has transformed cabinet meetings into platforms for decisions favoring commissions and cronies, rather than the public.

In a post on X, YS Jagan highlighted that Andhra Pradesh had only 11 government medical colleges until 2019. Despite serving as Chief Minister three times, Naidu did not establish any new government medical colleges. In contrast, during the YSRCP’s five-year term, 17 new medical colleges were approved. Out of these, five are already operational, and classes have commenced at one more following the elections. YSR Congress Party chief stated that if the coalition government had responsibly continued the work, 12 new colleges would already be functioning.

YS Jagan emphasized that when YSRCP assumed power, Andhra Pradesh had just 2,360 MBBS seats. With the introduction of new colleges, an additional 2,550 seats are being created, nearly doubling the total to 4,910. Approximately 800 seats were filled after YSRCP completed the initial set of colleges. These institutions were designed to offer half the seats free of charge and the rest at significantly lower fees compared to private colleges, ensuring accessibility for low-income and middle-class families.

He accused Naidu of plotting to obstruct approvals and admissions, including contacting the National Medical Council against Pulivendula Medical College. “When parents are compelled to sell their belongings to send their children abroad for MBBS seats in nations like Ukraine, Russia, and the Philippines, why is Naidu destroying the chance to study in Andhra Pradesh at a reasonable cost?” he questioned.

Regarding healthcare, YS Jagan alleged that the coalition has intentionally undermined Arogyasri. In the past 15 months, out of nearly Rs 4,500 crore owed to network hospitals, only Rs 600 crore was disbursed, leaving a debt of about Rs 4,000 crore. The scheme, which covered 3,257 procedures free of charge up to Rs 25 lakh per family, has been neglected. Even the Arogyasri Aasara benefit, which provided Rs 5,000 monthly to patients during recovery, has been halted, with nearly Rs 600 crore in dues remaining unpaid.

He asserted that Naidu is now shifting the burden to private insurance firms and misleading the populace through false propaganda. “If the government itself could not allocate Rs 3,600 crore for Arogyasri, how will it spend over Rs 5,000 crore on premiums for private insurance? This is merely another scam in the making,” YS Jagan cautioned while responding to the Cabinet's decision to implement a universal health policy aimed at providing free healthcare to all.

YS Jagan further remarked that private insurers operate for profit and cannot be equated with a government scheme that offered free treatment even during the COVID-19 pandemic. “In future health crises, individuals will be left vulnerable as private insurance will not cover emerging diseases. Naidu’s decisions are solely intended to divert public funds to his associates under the guise of premium payments,” he charged.