Make healthcare affordable: Governor tells TS, AP

Governor of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, E.S.L. Narasimhan on Wednesday urged both the Governments and private healthcare providers, especially managements of corporate hospitals, to come together and hammer out a way to provide affordable health care. On Wednesday, the Governor quite unequivocally asked private hospitals to move away from Hyderabad.

“Please move to districts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and provide your services out there. I urge Health Ministers of both the States to call for an urgent meeting of all the stakeholders, including L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, to hammer out a health plan that will be affordable to all in both the States. It is possible,” he said.

The Governor was participating in a programme organised by L.V. Prasad Eye Institute to mark the occasion of completing a record 20,000 corneal surgeries by the group in the country. This is for the first time that an eye research institute has conducted such a large number of corneal surgeries in 25 years anywhere in the world, hospital officials said.

Interestingly, close to 55 per cent of these corneal surgeries were done for non-paying patients.

“When L.V. Prasad Eye Hospital can do it, why can’t other corporate hospitals do the same? I have been raising this issue in TS and AP for the past five years. So far, however, nobody including the Governments have paid little heed to by suggestions. However, I will not give up and continue to raise this issue wherever it’s possible,” the Governor said.

According to eye transplant surgeons of LVPEI, over the years, attitude towards corneal donation among patients, relatives and public at large has changed.

“In 1989, when we started our eye bank, there were no cornea donors in AP. We depended on donors from Gujarat for steady supply of cornea. Today, in Hyderabad, the acceptance rate towards eye donation is between 75 and 80 per cent while in United States it is 60 per cent. Public in TS and AP are more positive about eye donation,” says Founder and Chair, LVPEI, Dr. G. N. Rao.