VIJAYAWADA: Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav has directed officials to recruit 8,000 staff members to address the critical shortages in the State’s healthcare system. At a review meeting with the Health, Medical, and Family Welfare Department on Friday at the Secretariat, he addressed pressing issues, including staffing gaps, the implementation of the NTR Vaidya Seva scheme, and improving accountability in service delivery.
Highlighting the performance of medical staff over the past seven months, the Minister emphasised the need for enhanced service quality with greater accountability. He underscored the importance of collective responsibility among government officials, and staff in serving the public. To ensure transparency, he mandated monthly progress reports to monitor the implementation of healthcare schemes.
Minister Yadav disclosed that of the 1,01,125 sanctioned posts in the department, 26,263 remain vacant, amounting to a 25.97% staff shortage. This includes a 21.41% shortage among doctors, 26.78% in paramedical and support staff, 37.04% in government teaching hospitals, and a staggering 63.40% in Ayurveda, Homeopathy, and Unani hospitals. He criticised the previous YSRCP government for neglecting traditional medicine systems and making misleading claims of ‘Zero Vacancy’ in the sector.
Special CS MT Krishna Babu explained that some vacant posts had been abolished or restructured to align with current requirements, while others could be filled through promotions. Satya Kumar highlighted a growing incidence of water-borne diseases and non-communicable illnesses such as diabetes, and cancer, and called for an immediate awareness campaign to educate the public.
Commissioner of Health V Karuna, Director of Public Health Dr Padmavati, and Director of Medical Education Dr Narasimham, were present at the meeting.