HYDERABAD: The Telangana government on Thursday launched the subsidised meal programme of 'Rs 5 per meal' to attendants of patients at state-run hospitals.
After launching the scheme at Osmania General Hospital here, state Health Minister T Harish Rao and Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali served the attendants.
BJP MLA Raja Singh among others also had food with the attendants.
As part of the programme, three meals a day would be provided to attendants of patients in 18 major government hospitals at Rs 5 per meal.
Free diet is being provided to patients at the hospitals by the state government, but patients' attendants find it difficult to get food within hospital premises, an official release said.
In view of this, the TRS government decided to roll out a scheme at an annual estimated cost of Rs 38.66 crore to provide three meals a day to attendants of patients, it said.
The Telangana State Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation (TSMSIDC) will act as the nodal department in implementing the scheme and will arrange for provision of three meals a day to attendants through the Hare Krishna Movement Charitable Foundation, the release added.