Visakhapatnam: Health infra to get a boost in state

Visakhapatnam: In an endeavour to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and provide enhanced healthcare, hospitals across the state are set to get a makeover. With the state government according top priority to improve the healthcare landscape, the focus is not just on providing affordable and quality healthcare to the people of the state but also initiating multiple interventions that include developing state-of-the-art infrastructure, increasing the doctors' strength, supplying quality medicines and so on and so forth.

In order to make this a reality, Andhra Pradesh Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation (APMSIDC) has been entrusted with the development of primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare infrastructure in the state. Last year, the APMSIDC undertook a number of initiatives to revamp the healthcare infrastructure. Significant efforts have been made in controlling Covid-19 pandemic through the provision of essential medical infrastructure.

On a mission to revamp healthcare infrastructure on a par with corporate hospitals in every nook and corner of the state, including in remote agency areas, five multi-specialty hospitals are going to come up in areas including Seethampeta, Parvathipuram and Rampachodavaram.

As a part of the upgradation of secondary healthcare infrastructure, construction of 165 area hospitals and community health centres (CHCs) has been taken up with a total estimated cost of Rs 1,223 crore. After signing the agreements to this effect, work is in progress for the establishment of four new government medical colleges at Paderu, Machilipatnam, Piduguralla and Pulivendula with a total estimated cost of Rs 2,050 crore.

In addition, the government has taken the initiative of providing a total of 46 PSA (pressure swing adsorption) plants in 42 hospitals with the support of CSR funds. Of them, 41 PSA plants have been commissioned. Similarly, to increase the testing capacity in the state, 20 Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) labs have been established at various parts of the state at a cost of Rs 6.22 crore.

This apart, establishment of genome sequencing lab at Siddartha Medical College in Vijayawada was completed. Establishment of City Diagnostic Centres (CDC) and Regional Drug Stores (RDS) are being taken up at Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati at a total cost of Rs 58.98 crore under National Health Mission (NHM) grant.

Construction of District Early Intervention Centres (DEICS) are being taken up at 18 locations across the state with a total project cost of Rs.19.08 crore (each costing Rs 1.08 crore) under the NHM grant. About 6,150 oxygen pipelines are laid, including other allied works with an amount of Rs 50 crore and 39 hospitals are being equipped with LMO tanks with a total capacity of 390 KL.

Elaborating about the infrastructure development, APMSIDC managing director D Muralidhar Reddy made it clear that there is no dearth of funds for the construction of hospitals. "The works that have already been taken up would be completed by October in tune with the timeline set for it," he said.