HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy announced that the state government plans to introduce digital health cards and formulate a health tourism policy soon.
Speaking at a felicitation event for Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, who was awarded the Padma Vibhushan this year, the Chief Minister stated that a health campus is being planned on 1,000 acres near Shamshabad airport.
“Physical assets such as bungalows and land are not real assets. The data from digital health cards will be the real asset,” he said, adding that the initiative would help avoid repeated diagnostic tests by making a patient’s medical history readily accessible. He assured that privacy protections would be in place.
Revanth stressed the need for expert guidance from doctors like Nageshwar Reddy for the state’s healthcare initiatives. He said the government aims to position Hyderabad as a global health hub and will introduce a health tourism policy.
To facilitate medical travel, the government is in discussions with the Civil Aviation Ministry to arrange direct flights from the Middle East to Hyderabad. Special counters for security clearances will also be set up for international patients, he said.
The chief minister noted that the government has increased the Arogyasri health insurance limit to `10 lakh and allocated `900 crore under the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) in one year. He reiterated the importance of the family health doctor concept over specialist-driven care.
Revanth felicitated Dr Nageshwar Reddy with a shawl and a memento. Legislative Council Chairman Gutha Sukhender Reddy, Health Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, IT Minister D Sridhar Babu, officials and other dignitaries were present.