HYDERABAD: Health Minister T Harish Rao on Friday took strong exception to Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan’s comment on the ‘poor’ health infrastructure in the State. “AIIMS Bibinagar doesn’t even have 10 paisa worth of facilities compared to the State-run medical colleges,” he remarked.
The minister was speaking at an event organised in Vikarabad to commence saree distribution to ASHA and ANM workers.
“It is painful to know that despite being a doctor, the governor is demoralizing the doctors,” Rao fumed.
Earlier, Tamilisai Soundarajan had cited the Nizam’s institute of Medical Sciences Director K Manohar’s admission in a private hospital for treatment for a heart alignment as an indication of poor facilities in government hospitals. “No political leader is going to a government hospital as there are not enough facilities,” she said referring to the recent botched family planning surgeries in Ibrahimpatnam that claimed the lives of four women.
Denouncing the Governor’s statement, Harish Rao said that the Centre itself had praised Telangana for rising to the Category 1 of the National Framework for Malaria Elimination (NFME) from Category 2, which implies its transformation from the pre-eradication to eradication stage. “Telangana ranks third in the health sector in the country and no BJP-ruled State has seen such progress,” the minister said and added that it became possible due to the hard work of medical officers.
“The foundation stone for construction of Vikarabad Medical College at a cost of Rs 235 crore was laid and a nursing college built at a cost of Rs 30 crore will start from this week. We are setting up a 50-bed Ayush hospital in Vikarabad at a cost of Rs 15 crore,” Harish Rao announced.