Private medical colleges bound to provide services free of cost, says Khader

Minister for Health and Family Welfare U.T. Khader addressing a press conference in Mangaluru on Wednesday.

| Photo Credit: H.S. MANJUNATH

Expressing his strong displeasure over the lackadaisical approach of private medical colleges in providing services at government healthcare centres, Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader said the private medical colleges were bound to provide services free of cost.“If they are not abiding by our conditions, then we will certainly cancel the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and also inform the National Medical Commission,” Mr. Khader told reporters in Mangaluru on Wednesday.Mr. Khader said the State government mooted the MoU with private medical colleges in order to take the help of the private institutions in filling the vacancy of personnel and provide specialised treatment to people at the goverment hospitals. At a recent review meeting, Mr. Khader said he found private medical colleges not providing doctors and other services, which were the requirements laid down in the MoU.Without naming the institutions, Mr. Khader said, “The institutions are using the MoU only to comply with conditions of the National Medical Commission to provide clinical training for their MBBS students at the non-teaching government hospitals. They are neither providing the required number of doctors and nursing personnel, which we have agreed to pay for, nor offering specialised treatment services at the government hospitals they are serving.”A fine example of the way a private institution has uplifted services at a government hospital was the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Ullal. The private institution has provided four MBBS doctors to the CHC, and it was also holding twice-a-week clinics of specialist doctors. The private institution was providing 10 nurses to the CHC as well, he said.Three private medical colleges in Dakshina Kannada have signed an MoU with the government to provide basic healthcare and specialist healthcare services at the Bantwal Taluk Hospital, Moodbidri CHC, and the Vitla CHC. A private hospital is yet to start providing services at the Belthangady Taluk Hospital. Published - September 02, 2026 06:53 pm IST