Move to hike salaries of doctors in rural areas

​Hyderabad: State government has proposed to increase the salaries of government doctors in rural areas. At a review meeting held at Pragati Bhavan on Monday, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao stressed the need to give allowances to the government doctors serving in the remote tribal areas.

In New Delhi, the government has launched Mohalla Clinics. The same should be replicated in all the Municipal Corporation areas in the State. He asked the officials to prepare proposals on the matter.

He said that an official team had already visited Tamil Nadu as part of its study on how medical and health services are reaching the poor in other States. The committee should visit New Delhi and other States to complete their study, the Chief Minister said.

He directed the officials of the Health Department to take measures to ensure that there is zero infant mortality rate in the State.

This can be possible only when the target of 100 per cent institutional deliveries in the State was achieved and emphasised on the need to improve conditions in the government hospitals.

In this context, he had asked officials in the Finance Department to increase allocations for medical and health in the State Budget and take measures to release the funds regularly.

The Chief Minister pointed out that in the absence of proper facilities at government hospitals, poor pregnant women were facing problems when they were forced to go to the private hospitals.

Hence, the government should take all necessary measures to see that the poor pregnant women are encouraged to go to government hospitals only for delivery.

All the government hospitals should be equipped with the necessary staff, equipment, medicines and facilities. The poor should be convinced of the fact they in the government hospitals, medical care and facilities are far better, he added.