Vijayawada: Congress decries poor facilities in government hospitals

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee suggested the State government to provide necessary infrastructure to the government hospitals across the State in order to serve the people with better medical facilities.

In a statement released from Andhra Ratna Bhavan here on Tuesday, APCC president Dr Sake Sailajanath said that there was hardly any development in the medical services with the implementation of Nadu-Nedu programme.

The PCC chief recalled that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy virtually laid foundation stone on May 31 for the construction of 14 medical colleges and it was proposed to construct 16 medical colleges in the State. However, even after 130 days of the foundation, the construction activity has not pick up pace.

The State government had allocated Rs 9,426 crore last year and Rs 13,830 crore in the present financial year but there was hardly any change. Moreover, Rs 1,535 crore was allocated for the development of the hospitals and Rs 77.32 crore more for Vaidya Vidhana Parishad than last year. For the first time Rs 500 crore was earmarked for vaccination and Rs 500 crore for Covid control measures.

In spite of the allotment of Rs 4.403 crore more than the previous budget, the people are still suffering at the government hospitals, he deplored.

The PCC chief pointed out that the government sanctioned Rs 20 crore after the Medical and Health department sent proposals for Rs 127 crore to procure material for surgeries and others. Rs 20 crore was included to cover Rs 12 crore for teaching hospitals, Rs 5 crore for community health centres, area and district hospitals and Rs 3 crore for primary health centres.

Increasing the number of post graduate seats is not enough, there should be good infrastructure facilities, more units are needed to be introduced and each unit should have at least three assistant professors, two associate professors and a professor assisted by staff nurses. A number of operation theatres should be provided along with intensive care units, oxygen beds and others.

The YCP government which is in deep debt crisis should focus on providing basic facilities to the hospitals, he suggested.