VIJAYAWADA: Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav on Sunday announced a massive decentralisation of powers within the Health Department.
The move, aligned with Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s directive to speed up governance and promote ease of doing business, transfers significant decision-making authority to senior and mid-level officials.
Out of 45 key administrative matters that previously required ministerial approval, only 17 will now be decided at the ministerial level. The remaining 28 have been delegated to the Secretary and other departmental officers to ensure faster processing and accountability.
Under the new system, Health Secretary Saurabh Gaur will handle 15 major issues, including implementation of court orders, payment of medical expenses, audit reports, promotions, budget matters, and foreign trip permissions.
Thirteen additional items, such as sanction of increments, RTI cases, inter-departmental coordination, and routine administrative matters, will be decided by Deputy Secretaries, Joint Secretaries and Additional Secretaries.
Matters reserved for ministerial approval include cabinet-related issues, staff appointments, vigilance cases, establishment of new colleges and hospitals, and state division-related matters.
Speaking on the occasion, Satya Kumar said the reform aims to empower officials, enhance accountability, and eliminate unnecessary procedural delays. “This decentralisation will strengthen responsibility and participation at every level. When officers are trusted with authority, their sense of ownership and productivity naturally increases,” he said.
He added that the Health Department, which employs over one lakh staff and handles a large volume of schemes and projects, must function efficiently to meet public health goals. Routine files should not require ministerial intervention, he noted.
The Minister directed Health Secretary Saurabh Gaur to regularly review the outcomes of this decentralization and submit progress reports. “Our goal is to create a participatory governance model that ensures faster decisions and higher administrative responsiveness,” he said.