Amaravati: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to expedite the establishment of medical colleges under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, instructing that projects be handed over to respective institutions within a month.
During a review meeting held at the Secretariat on Wednesday, the Chief Minister said that construction of four medical colleges in Phase-1-Markapuram, Madanapalle, Pulivendula, and Adoni-should begin immediately. He added that Phase-2 projects in Amalapuram, Bapatla, Penukonda, Narsipatnam, Palakollu, and Parvathipuram must also be taken up in a time-bound manner.
Naidu further instructed officials to finalize and roll out the Andhra Pradesh State Health Investment Policy 2026-31 at the earliest. The proposed policy will be built on seven pillars, including medical colleges, multi-specialty hospitals, med-tech manufacturing, startups and innovation, medical tourism with integrated wellness facilities, skilling, and the development of a medicity in Amaravati. He also directed that a proposal be sent to the Ministry of AYUSH for setting up a Naturopathy Centre in Amaravati.
The review meeting, which focused on the Sanjeevani Project and population management, was attended by senior officials from the Medical and Health, Finance, Swarna Gram-Swarna Ward, Labour, and Women and Child Welfare departments.
Highlighting the progress of the Sanjeevani Project, officials informed that over 1.08 lakh people have received medical services so far, medicines have been distributed to 2.8 lakh beneficiaries, and around 19,000 diagnostic tests have been conducted. The Chief Minister directed that the project be expanded rapidly across the state.
Emphasizing preventive healthcare, Naidu called for increased focus on public health awareness and citizen screening using data-driven approaches to reduce medical expenses. He stressed that digitization alone is not sufficient unless field-level staff deliver effectively. He also called for special drives to control diseases such as anemia and diabetes.
On population trends, officials informed that the state's fertility rate has declined from 2.1 to 1.5, with Kadapa district recording the highest rate at 1.99 and Visakhapatnam the lowest at 1.32. The Chief Minister said efforts should be made to move towards the target fertility rate of 2.1, noting the state is currently about 6 percent below the desired level.
He emphasized shifting focus from population control to population protection, promoting family values, and discouraging the trend of micro families. Naidu suggested formulating incentive-based policies to support joint and larger families.