CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy directs completion of vaccination in all districts

Vijayawada: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy asked the authorities to complete the vaccination process in all districts and provide better facilities for those in Covid care centres.

During a review on the Covid situation on Thursday, he said that all those who are availing treatment in private hospitals should be provided with Aarogyasri coverage based on their eligibility. Further, officials were instructed to focus on the procedures to be followed as part of Covid treatment and review the situation.

The Chief Minister said that Andhra Pradesh should be a role model for other states in the effective implementation of Aarogyasri and EHS (employees health scheme). He stated that Aarogyasri is being implemented as a revolutionary model, and the state was paying better rates for treatments under Aarogyasri than insurance companies. Like never before, only GMP standard drugs are being given in government hospitals and the hospitals were being revamped with modern infrastructural facilities under the Nadu-Nedu initiative.

He directed the Aarogyasri CEO to make field visits for at least 8-10 days in a month, as the programme can be further strengthened by field level observations.

Meanwhile, officials informed the Chief Minister that the number of people who need to be hospitalised is few although the cases are being registered, and even those admitted to the hospitals are recovering with treatment. They said the positivity rate is also gradually declining, and only 2,709 patients were admitted to hospitals out of 1.06 lakh cases registered, of them only 287 were admitted to the ICU.

Authorities said that about 93 per cent of those admitted to hospitals are being treated under Aarogyasri. In regard to vaccination, they said that 90.34 per cent of those over 18 years of age have completed two doses of vaccination and 98.91 per cent of 15 to 18-year-olds completed the first dose of vaccination.

Deputy Chief minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas, chief secretary Sameer Sharma, principal secretary, medical and health department Anil Kumar Singhal, principal secretary, medical and health (Covid management, vaccination) Muddada Ravichandra, Aarogyasri CEO V Vinaychand, Health Department Commissioner Katamaneni Bhaskar, special secretary G S Naveenkumar and others were present.