Principal Secretary (Health) M.T. Krishna Babu has said that efforts are being made to meet the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) in the delivery of services in the primary and community health centres and area and district hospitals.
He further says that efforts are under way to meet the norms of the National Medical Commission (NMC) as far as the medical colleges and teaching hospitals are concerned.
Due emphasis has been laid on the provision of affordable, quality and timely healthcare to the poor in the private hospitals empanelled under the Dr. YSR Aarogyasri scheme, he says.
More PHCs
Addressing the media on Wednesday, Mr. Krishna Babu said an additional 176 PHCs were sanctioned and they would be operationalised by September 2023. Besides, 977 PHCs were being renovated under the Nadu - Nedu programme.
In addition to the 16 new medical colleges, one more would be established in Parvathipuram Manyam district to cater to the needs of the tribal people.
In addition to that, tribal multi-speciality hospitals were being established at Seethampeta, Parvathipuram, Buttayigudem, Rampachodavaram and Dornala at a cost of ₹246 crore.
Apart from setting up new medical colleges, the 11 existing ones were being upgraded as per latest quality standards, he said.
Staff recruitment
A total of 40,676 (all cadres) staff had been recruited in the last three years, during which period new posts were created. Steps were taken to fill specialist vacancies in all the secondary and tertiary hospitals, he added.
As per G.O.s 197 and 198 dated July 29, a total of 367 civil assistant surgeons with speciality degrees / diplomas working in the PHCs and other facilities were being re-deployed to the AP Vaidya Vidhana Parishad hospitals.
Plan to launch the Family Doctor programme on a pilot basis from September was on the anvil.
Village health clinics
Mr. Krishna Babu said over 10,000 village health clinics were being set up at an estimated cost of nearly ₹1,700 crore with December 2022 as the deadline, and due priority was given to the screening of non-communicable diseases.
A total of 556 YSR Urban Health Clinics were in the process of being established in 353 new buildings and 203 renovated buildings at a cost of ₹368 crore, he said. The government issued orders for restructuring of the CHCs and the area and district hospitals on the basis of bed strength, he added.
