Hyderabad: Telangana health minister Damodar Raja Narasimha announced on Monday, December 2, that the foundation stone for the new Osmania General Hospital (OGH) which features over 2000 beds and is being constructed at a cost of Rs 2000 crore, will be laid soon.
Addressing the media after attending the “Arogya Utsavalu” (health festival) held at NTR Marg, the minister made a slew of announcements about the state government’s efforts to strengthen the public healthcare system in Telangana.
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Super-speciality hospitals to be completed soon
He said that the four super speciality hospitals, which are presently under construction, will be ready within a year and a half. The state government plans to sanction and order an additional 7,000 beds for government hospitals.
Stressing the need for non-communicable disease clinics, the health minister assured its establishment in every district. He also announced that regular testing for diabetes, liver diseases, hypertension, jaundice, heart conditions, and other illnesses will be conducted to ensure early diagnosis.
Arogyasi scheme
Under the Arogyasi scheme, the state government pays an average of Rs 60 to 70 crore to private hospitals, covering 1,835 procedures. The government has also allowed hospitals with a minimum of 50 beds to be empanelled under the scheme.
More ambulances in the purview
In addition to the 213 new ambulances which were flagged off on Monday, the state minister said there is still a growing demand for 80-85 more, aiming to reduce the current emergency response time of 22 minutes to just 10 minutes.
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Cancer screening vehicles, mobile testing units in every district
The health minister also announced that cancer screening vehicles will be introduced in all districts, and four cancer centres with linear accelerators will also be established to ensure that 90% of treatment could be given in rural areas.
The state government is committed to ensuring the quality of food and drugs, with plans to introduce mobile testing units across the state. Testing labs established in the 1950s will be expanded, and four new testing labs will be set up in different regions.
Additionally, food and drug inspector offices will be established at every district collectorate, along with a toll-free number for public access.
As many as 600 tests were conducted by the food and drug safety officials and fines amounting to Rs 60 lakh have been collected, the minister said.
The state government plans to establish a central medical store in every district at a cost of Rs 4 crore per store for easy access to drugs and medicines.
