Jagan Mohan Reddy hits out at Andhra Pradesh government for neglecting health care
In the last two years as many as 424 people died of kidney ailments in Prakasam district, the YSRC chief said.
Published: 20th January 2017 06:44 PM | Last Updated: 20th January 2017 06:44 PM | A+A A-
VIJAYAWADA: YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday interacted with the patients of kidney ailments in PC Pally mandal in Prakasam district where the disease has become endemic and with those who are suffering from fluorosis.
Jagan Mohan Reddy, who visited Amaravati villages yesterday to fight for the farmers whose lands the state government wants to acquire for the capital city, continued his tour of coastal districts on Friday.
In PC Pally, he interacted with the patients, he launched a fresh offensive against Chandrababu Naidu government for its indifference. ""In the last two years as many as 424 people died of kidney ailments in Prakasam district but nothing has been done to address the problem,"" he said, adding that as soon as he comes to power, he would take special care about health of the people and ensure that no one would get steeped in debts for meeting medical expenses.
"I have told you in the past that I will take care of all your medical needs. If the doctor advises a patient to take rest at home, I will treat that also as treatment and pay," Jagan Mohan Reddy said.
Jagan Mohan Reddy, accusing Naidu of being indifferent to the needs of the people in the district, said the chief minister had issued two GOs yesterday for setting up dialysis units at three centres after learning that he was visiting the affected villages. This ad hoc approach would not help, the YSRC chief said.
He was highly critical of the government for neglecting health care. "The health care scheme- Arogya Sri - is now in death bed in AP. It needs a budget of RS.910 crore but only Rs.568 crore had been allotted. Of this Rs.368 crore go towards payment of arrears to the hospitals," Jagan Mohan Reddy said.
Kidney patients poured out their difficulties to Jagan Mohan Reddy that for getting dialysis treatment it was costing them upto Rs.24,000 per month which they cannot afford. Dialysis costs Rs.2,000 to Rs.3,000 for one session and a patient needs to have dialysis at least thrice a week, the patients said.
Reacting to their grievances, he recalled how his late father YS Rajasekhar Reddy had ensured that the poor would have access to corporate health care. But today, ambulances do not have any medical equipment. The Arogya Sri needs Rs.1,460 crore, he pointed out.
Sharing the grief of the fluorosis victims, he said that solution lay in completion of Velugonda project which would supply safe drinking water. "Late YSR had allocated Rs.4,700 crore for the project but it has now turned into no one's baby. I do not understand why the government takes so long to set up dialysis units. Each unit does not cost more than Rs.10 lakh,"" Jagan Mohan Reddy said.
