Covid hospitals to go up by 149 at Andhra Pradesh

Amaravati: The state government has increased the number of Covid hospitals to 287 from 138 and would soon appoint doctors and specialists and has increased the pay of sanitary workers.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who held a review meeting on the prevailing Covid situation in the state on Friday at his camp office, told the officials that the strength of Covid hospitals should be increased to 287 with an addition of 149 more hospitals and doctors and specialists should be made available as soon as possible.

The pay of temporary staff recruited for sanitary work should be increased and the hospitals should have the basic infrastructure and rating should be given as per the performance of the hospitals.

In the 287 hospitals, all facilities should be available and medical staff should be present in the required number and the standards in the hospitals should be regularly monitored.

The Chief Minister said that Covid call centres and help desks in hospitals should function efficiently.

Hygiene should be maintained in the hospitals and nutritious food should be provided to the patients. Care should be taken for those who are in home quarantine and those coming under Aarogyasri should be taken care of well.

He said that referral protocol should be followed and implemented from village and ward clinic level. A call centre to register complaints on Aarogyasri services should be started and the toll-free number should be displayed prominently at all hospitals.

Jagan directed the officials to consider the possibility of handing over the cash incentive for women while discharging them after delivery.

Officials of the departments concerned participated in the meeting.