Hyderabad: Eatala Rajender wants major overhaul of health department

Hyderabad: Laying stress on a slew of reforms in his department, Health Minister Eatala Rajender wanted them to be implemented to bring a major overhaul in the working of the department in the next 12 months.

During the review meeting with officials on Monday, Eatala wanted disease mapping to be done to identify places where there most cases of malaria, filarial or flourosis are being reported and accordingly stocks of required medicines should be made available there.

Eatala wanted computerization to be done in stocking medicines from PHCs to tertiary hospitals so that medicines that are nearing expiry date could be easily identified and due measures have to be taken. Even in PHCs only those medicines that are required have to be kept and for this a software has to be created. Account and record of every drug have to be kept, the Minister said.

He pointed out that the first time in the history of the Health department expired medicines were returned to pharma companies and the corresponding amount was collected.

Every State hospital should have a reception counter to guide patients visiting there, he said, adding that health condition of the in-patient has to be communicated to their family members from time to time.

Pointing out that the number of State hospitals outnumber the private hospitals and clinics, Eatala wanted referral system be introduced so that patients from PHCs are guided to major State hospitals in the districts. He wanted Asha workers at PHC level to play a proactive role to guide patients.

Eatala said KCR kits helped in 50 per cent of deliveries in state being done in the State hospitals, how schemes like Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubaarak helped in containing child marriages as schemes are given to brides who cross 18 years of age only.

Eatala called upon doctors and nurses to work with people-oriented and duty oriented mindset to improve healthcare in the state hospitals and health centers.