KURNOOL: Ushering in a new era of reforms in the medical and health sector in Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday launched the Nadu-Nedu scheme in government hospitals and the third phase of YSR Kanti Velugu, which will benefit 56.88 lakh senior citizens.
All government hospitals in the State will be developed, bringing them on a par with corporate ones within three years, Jagan said, addressing his first public meeting in Kurnool as Chief Minister. “All hospitals in Andhra Pradesh will meet the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS),” he added.
Just like in the Nadu-Nedu programme in government schools, photos of all government hospitals showing the existing conditions will be displayed, and after three years, another set of photos will be taken and displayed to depict the transformation. The makeover will be undertaken in three phases at a cost of Rs 15,337 crore.
In the first phase, the focus will be on 7,458 health sub-centres. New buildings will be constructed for 4,906 of them, and facilities at the rest will be improved. This is expected to cost Rs 1,129 crore.
In the second phase, the focus will be on 1,145 primary health centres (PHCs), with 149 of them getting new buildings, and 989 getting modern infrastructure. Simultaneously, facilities at 169 community health centres (CHCs) will be upgraded at a cost of Rs 1,212 crore, and 52 area hospitals will be modernised at an estimated cost of Rs 700 crore.
“In the third phase, district hospitals and teaching hospitals will be transformed, and super-specialty hospitals and medical and nursing colleges will be built at a cost of Rs 12,300 crore,” the Chief Minister said.
“Since Independence, the State has had just 11 teaching hospitals. This is now set to change. Sixteen new medical colleges will be built, giving the State one such facility in each of the 25 parliamentary constituencies. In addition to this, 16 nursing colleges will be set up. This will ensure there are more government doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, PG students and medicos; and ultimately, it is the poor who will benefit,” he added.
To ensure there is no shortage of doctors in government hospitals after three years, revolutionary changes have been initiated, the Chief Minister said. “No other State in the country is spending so much on healthcare for the poor and middle class. I am proud to say only Andhra Pradesh is doing this,” he asserted.
Jagan began his speech by enquiring how his sisters, brothers, and elders are faring, and asked if they received Ammavodi, Rythu Bharosa and enhanced pensions as promised. “Avva Thathalu (elderly) have a special place in my heart. What is being done for them is not enough; they must be given more. Today, I am proud to say another step has been taken to help them. In the third phase of the YSR Kanti Velugu scheme, which will go on till July 31, as many as 56,88,420 elderly people will be screened for eye ailments, and free spectacles, medicines and surgeries will be performed for the needy.
Village secretaries will deliver the spectacles at recipients’ doorsteps,” he said, adding that Rs 560 crore will be spent on the programme. The first phase of YSR Kanti Velugu began on October 10, 2019, and 66 lakh students were screened by 60,000 trained personnel. In the second phase, secondary eye tests were conducted on 4.36 lakh students, and spectacles were distributed to 1.5 lakh of them free of cost. “As many as 46,000 students suffering from critical eye problems need surgery, and on the request of their parents, these operations will be conducted during the summer vacations after the Class X exams,” Jagan said.
Taking a dig at TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, the Chief Minister said that though the government has initiated so many schemes to help people, there are some who are suffering stomachache due to jealousy and heartburn.
“Unfortunately, there is no medicine for them,” he quipped. Jagan concluded his speech by stating he is committed to public health, happiness, and a better future.