In a decision that could positively impact health care services in State-run hospitals, the Telangana Government has decided to launch special clinics between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. exclusively for government employees.
The clinics will provide all outpatient (OP) facilities, including access to consultant speciality doctors, laboratory, pharmacy and even radiology services.
Officials feel the decision would help government hospitals improve their infrastructure and quality of services. Moreover, government employees need not go to corporate hospitals for OP treatment. For the remaining doctors available between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., the consultant speciality doctor will get Rs.50 and super-speciality doctor Rs.100 for each outpatient case.
The clinics will be set up at Gandhi Hospital and Osmania General Hospital for Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts. Other teaching hospitals chosen for the exclusive clinics include RIMS in Adilabad, Government General Hospital in Nizamabad and Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Hospital in Warangal.
In case a required lab test is inaccessible or a particular drug unavailable, the government has permitted teaching hospitals to tie up with private facilities for drug supply and laboratory investigations. Top health officials say that within a year, all teaching hospitals in Telangana will provide 24-hour laboratory services, in addition to generic drugs manufactured by reputed drug companies.
“Laboratories and pharmacies in government hospitals would get an additional Rs.3,000 a month as incentive, which would be shared by pharmacists and technicians. Only generic drugs would be prescribed and supplied,” officials said.
Also, government employees above the age of 40 will also be eligible for their annual complete health check-up at designated teaching hospitals like Gandhi Hospital and OGH. “The expenditure for running these exclusive health clinics would be met through the budget set aside for [the] employee health scheme,” officials clarified.
