Centre's 250-crore balm for TS Health dept: Minister Eatala Rajender

Hyderabad: Telangana Health Minister Eatala Rajender's recent New Delhi visit wherein he called on Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and sought Central assistance for few new projects and initiatives in his health department has paid dividends as NDA government had approved nearly Rs 250 crore budget at one go.

Of this, Rs 214 crore will be utilised for establishing 9 district hospitals in headquarters of new districts that came into existence after the reorganisation of districts in 2016. Also, another Rs 30 crore will be allocated for establishing 200-bed Mother and Child Health wing to come up in Gandhi Hospital. Also, another Rs 1.5 crore has been sanctioned for setting up burn wards in state-run hospitals in Wanaparthy, Nagarkurnool and Gajwel.

According to health officials, Centre was asked Rs 576 crore for the district hospitals project and Rs 55 crore for MCH wing at Gandhi Hospital. The present allocations of nearly Rs 250 crore for both are for civil works while the remaining will be released in phases.

The shortlisted nine locations for the district hospitals are Gadwal, Nirmal, Mahabubabad, Narayanpet, Asifabad, Narsampet, Bhupalpally, Sircilla and Mulugu. At present all these places have Area Hospitals (100-bed facility) and now they will be upgraded to district hospitals ( having 200 to 350 beds).

Telangana at present has five district hospitals in Hyderabad (King Koti District Hospital), Karimnagar, Khammam, Sangareddy, Tandur while four others in Mahabubnagar, Nizamabad, Nalgonda and Suryapet have been transformed into teaching hospitals after Telangana government established new Government Medical Colleges there in the last five years.

Elaborating more details on this and other plans of his department, Minister Eatala Rajender said on Friday that Centre and State would bear costs of new district hospitals and MCH wing in Gandhi Hospital in 40:60 ratio.