Include deliveries under Aarogyasri

Hyderabad: Government doctors working in all districts of Telangana are seeking inclusion of deliveries in State hospitals under the Aarogyasri scheme.

Deliveries cases have increased in government hospitals in all districts after the introduction of the KCR Kit scheme.

For those who are not eligible for KCR Kits scheme (couple going beyond two children, government employees of all cadre etc), deliveries are also being done in various area, district and tertiary hospitals in the State.

And, doctors want these deliveries cases be included under Aarogyasri. This issue was also brought to the notice of Health Minister Eatala Rajender.

According to doctors, area, district and tertiary hospitals across the State are being flocked by expecting mothers for antenatal care and for deliveries in the last two years.

In districts, at times medical staff is made to spend from their own pocket to fetch operation gear like gloves and other things and medicines due to stocks shortage, especially in last nine months or so due to continuous elections in the State.

In this backdrop, gynecologists and medical staff have come to the conclusion that the inclusion of deliveries under Aarogyasri will reduce their problems.

Under Aarogyasri, the government gives a fixed amount for a particular operation to concerned hospital, out of which 40 per cent amount goes to the doctor and medical staff and the remaining 60 per cent goes into Hospital Development Fund account.

" Assuming government fixes Rs 10,000 rate for each delivery done under Aarogyasri, Rs 6,000 will go into HDF account and this amount will become substantial in six months to a year's time.

This amount could be used on infrastructure, buying of equipment in respective hospitals and also for storing medicine stocks for performing deliveries and operations," a gynecologist working in an Area hospital in erstwhile Warangal district said.

Meanwhile, putting up this demand the gynecologists working in government hospitals are insisting on limiting this scheme only to State hospitals and not private hospitals.

According to doctors, if private hospitals are included then they would try to lure pregnant women to use the facilities in their hospitals and this would affect the working of the State hospitals in the long run.

It was seen in the past how hospitals minted money using Aarogyasri scheme and we don't want it to be repeated, they said.