Praja Arogya Vedika, affiliated to the Jan Swasthya Abihyan, has written a letter to Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy seeking improvement of amenities and strengthening of doctors, healthcare workers and infrastructure at the NTR Hospital in Anakapalle, which was upgraded into a district-level hospital.
A team from PAV, visited the hospital and inspected the basic amenities and medical facilities available at the hospital.
PAV State general secretary T. Kameswara Rao and president M.V. Ramanayya noted in a statement on Tuesday that on an average around 400 patients from 10 mandals, surrounding Anakapalle, were availing of the medical facilities at the hospital. As many as 10 of the 18 doctor posts at the hospital, were vacant and they should be filled without any further delay. An orthopaedic surgeon was being deputed from the Narsipatnam Area Hospital. A permanent orthopaedician should be appointed for the district hospital.
The lab services should be upgraded and CT scan, MRI and all emergency services should be introduced and a radiologist should be appointed for the hospital. Only 20 staff nurses were available out of the sanctioned strength of 48 and only two Class IV employees were available out of 18. The vacant posts should be filled to meet the needs of the district-level hospital, they said.
Kidney diseases were prevalent at Anakapalle and surrounding areas and research should be undertaken to find out the cause. A dialysis centre should be established at the hospital immediately as patients were facing difficulties in going either to Visakhapatnam or Narsipatnam for dialysis.
They also sought operationalisation of the “Talli – Bidda” express vehicles for the convenience of women going home with their babies, after delivery, repair of ambulances and provision of safe drinking water, centralised oxygen plant. A COVID-19 testing centre should also be set up at Anakapalle to avoid delays in the generation of reports, they said.
