Need to hike health budget stressed

Tirupati: The honorary distinguished Professor of Public Health Foundation of India Dr K Srinath Reddy said that Covid-19 has thrown up several challenges to the medical field and taught so many lessons. Addressing a meeting at SVIMS on 'Advancing India's health-An agenda beyond Covid' on Saturday, he said that the government has been laying special focus on public health but there is a need to concentrate on primary healthcare as well.

Research observations reveal that many deaths during the Covid pandemic were caused among those suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes which underlines the importance of taking steps on these aspects in rural areas. There is a need to increase the budget allocations for the health sector and medical education.

Though the number of private and government medical colleges and the UG and PG seats are being increased, it is important to appoint the required doctors, nurses and paramedical staff in accordance with the national health policy, Dr Reddy stated and added that there is a shortage of faculty in medical colleges. Steps have to be taken to educate people in rural areas on communicable and non-communicable diseases.

He welcomed the Aysuhman Bharat programme being implemented by the Central government to make primary healthcare available for the rural and urban population. By improving universal public healthcare, building a healthy society can be possible, he felt.

On this occasion, SVIMS director-cum-vice-chancellor Dr B Vengamma felicitated Dr Srinath Reddy. Medical superintendent Dr Ram, registrar Dr K V Sreedhar Babu, principal of Sri Padmavathi Medical College for Women Dr Saran B Singh and other faculty members, PG and MBBS students, nursing and physiotherapy students were present.