MCD to explore PPP model for new medical college in north Delhi

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is mulling setting up its first medical college with a private partner at a vacant site on Rajan Babu TB Hospital campus in north Delhi’s Kingsway Camp, officials said.

The civic body is also planning to develop an affiliated hospital on the campus there.

The proposal, which was slated to be tabled at Wednesday’s Standing Committee meeting, could not be taken up as the meeting was cancelled, officials said, adding that it could now be taken up on March 30.

The MCD is expected to work with a private player for the execution of the project. The proposal will be placed before the House for approval before work begins, with the plan already shared with the Delhi government, officials said.

The project envisages using about 60 acres of land at the site, much of which has remained vacant for years.

The campus currently houses two major facilities: Rajan Babu TB Hospital and the Maharishi Valmiki Infectious Diseases Hospital, the only such specialised infectious diseases facility in north India. Together, the hospitals have around 1,100 beds.

In 2017, the two hospitals were administratively merged, but this led to operational difficulties and affected service delivery. To address these issues, the MCD decided to separate their administration again in 2024.

Officials said the PPP model will aim to provide affordable treatment and diagnostic services, particularly for economically weaker sections.

The civic body has already prepared a plan with a state-owned bank, which has been appointed as the transaction partner.

Earlier in 2021, the erstwhile North Delhi Municipal Corporation had considered leasing parts of the vacant land to private hospitals under a PPP model, but it did not get approval at the time.

At present, the MCD runs a medical college at Hindu Rao Hospital with 60 MBBS seats, and the new proposal also includes increasing the number of undergraduate seats in the city’s civic-run institutions, officials added.