VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated the LV Prasad Eye Care Centre at Gudlavalleru of Krishna district on Friday.
The Chief Minister, accompanied by Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav and LV Prasad Eye Institute Founder Chairman Gullapalli Nageswara Rao, formally launched the facility.
Speaking on the occasion, Naidu said that establishing specialised eye care hospitals in rural regions would significantly benefit local communities. He lauded Jasti Venkata Subba Rao, Chairman of Suven Life Sciences, for extending financial support towards setting up the centre. He noted that the initiative reflects a commitment to giving back to society and would ensure quality eye care services even for the underprivileged.
He said the centre can handle up to 50,000 outpatient consultations annually and perform around 5,000 surgeries. He also praised the LV Prasad Eye Institute for delivering non-profit eye care services across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Odisha.
Naidu reiterated that the state government is giving equal priority to healthcare alongside welfare and development. He said that Rs 19,305 crore has been allocated to the health sector in the latest budget, an increase over the previous year.
Stressing the importance of eye health, he said the government has set a target of conducting four lakh cataract surgeries this year and is also implementing eye screening programs for school students.
Earlier, officials from the LV Prasad Eye Institute explained to the Chief Minister about various departments of the newly inaugurated centre. Doctors also conducted an eye examination for Naidu using advanced diagnostic equipment. He later interacted with the medical staff and the family members of Jasti Venkat.