Andhra Pradesh: Speed up construction of clinics and PHCs, CM Jagan tells officials

VIJAYAWADA: Chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy directed officials to speed up the construction of village clinics, medical colleges and teaching hospitals, besides renovation of primary health centres (PHCs).

Speaking to health officials at a review meeting on Nadu-Nedu in the health department at his Tadepalli camp office on Wednesday, the chief minister also asked them to prepare reports on proposed health hubs in the state. He wanted officials to complete work on 10,011 village clinics, of which work on 8,585 clinics is in progress.

Officials told the chief minister that renovation work on PHCs would be completed by December and construction of 146 new PHCs would be over by March 2022.

On new medical colleges and teaching hospitals, officials told the chief minister that work on 13 medical colleges and hospitals is in progress. However, work on two colleges at Nandyal and Anakapalli has not started as cases are pending in court.

The chief minister also directed officials to conduct eye screening under the YSR Kanti Velugu programme. He wanted officials to conduct a week-long drive across the state and screen patients.

Officials informed the chief minister that so far 13,58,173 people above 60 years of age have been tested, spectacles provided to 4,69,481 and surgeries performed on 1,00,223 persons with eye problems. They said the programme was interrupted due to Covid-19 and would shortly resume.

Deputy chief minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas, chief secretary Dr Sameer Sharma, principal secretary of medical health Anil Kumar Singhal, chief secretary of medical health (Covid management and vaccination) M Ravichandra, finance secretary N Gulzar, 104 call centre in-charge A Babu, health and family welfare commissioner Katamaneni Bhaskar, APMSIDC VC and MD D Muralidhar Reddy, APVVP commissioner Dr V Vinod Kumar and others were present.