Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has instructed the Medical & Health Department to set up 100 ‘health ATMs’ in the State on a pilot basis to take health care to the doorsteps of people. The health ATMs will stock drugs and other essentials and their number may be expanded depending on their functioning and public response, Mr. Naidu said at a departmental review meeting here on Sunday.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister said the government was prepared to offer incentives for medical equipment manufacturers to set up their units in the State and looked forward to a meeting with the industry representatives.
He suggested to officials to study the functioning of ‘ultra-sonology centres’ in Tamil Nadu to possibly replicate the same model of diagnostic methods in A.P too for better delivery of health care services. The CT scanning machines available in each district headquarters hospital have to be optimally utilised and all tests, from haemoglobin to CT scanning, have to be conducted at affordable rates from January 1.
He observed diagnosis accounted for nearly 40 per cent of the medical expenditure incurred by people who were struggling to bear that burden.
Mr. Naidu said medical equipment worth nearly Rs. 480 crore in government hospitals was not being fully utilised and necessary action should be taken at the earliest. Government hospitals have to make the most of their prime location at different places in the State. Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas spoke at the review meeting.
Earlier, National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC) Senior Consultant Jitendar Kumar Sharma and UNICEF State Consultant (Neonatal Health) R.S.V. Srikrishna gave a presentation on activities of their institution and promised to be in touch with the State government officials for implementing their programmes.
