Refuting the opposition charges on the government’s alleged neglect of the health sector, Health Minister Eatala Rajender has asserted that the proactive timely measures taken by the government have ensured that the incidence of viral fevers, including dengue, has been brought down significantly in the past few days.
The government has supplied necessary medicine to all the hospitals and healthcare centres besides despatching the required diagnostic kits to check the prevalence of diseases. In addition, the leaves of doctors as well as officials of related departments had been cancelled to make sure that they took active part in the disease control measures, he said replying to the discussion on the demands for grants of Health Department in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday.
The Minister dismissed the charges of Congress floor leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka that the huge influx of patients into government hospitals was not a good sign. The rush in the government hospitals was indicative of the renewed confidence on the government hospitals and the services they were rendering in protecting public health.
Village infrastructure
As the outbreak of viral fevers was reported from some areas, the government had asked the departments to effectively coordinate and check their prevalence. The officials were told to utilise the ₹339 crore released under the 30-day special programme for improving the village infrastructure to ensure that patients were not put to any inconvenience. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao himself was reviewing the situation once every two days and was giving instructions to the officials concerned to take timely action wherever the health-related issues were reported.
The Minister said the TRS government after coming to power in 2014 took steps to enhance bed strength in the hospitals from 15,000 to 22,000 and efforts had been initiated to ensure an effective linkage with the teaching hospitals in the private sector. This was in addition to setting up four new medical colleges in the State and improving the facilities in district and area hospitals. “Our approach is to ensure that Health Department functions with human face and we have succeeded in our efforts,” he said.
Mr. Bhatti Vikramarka alleged that the government was gradually cutting down the allocations to the health sector in spite of its claims on managing the department with a human face. The Minister, however, asserted that unlike the other departments, Health Department would not depend on one time allocations and would receive continuous support from the government throughout the year. “Budget will be re-appropriated as and when it is felt necessary,” he said.
