Andhra Pradesh health cuts a sorry figure
Telangana says no to AP patients on nativity grounds
By : md. ilyas
Update: 2014-08-06 04:12 GMT
Guntur: The absence of super-specialty services in government hospitals of Seemandhra regions is causing great inconvenience to the public of the Andhra Pradesh after state division as patients are facing problems in getting treatment in the Nims, Osmania, Gandhi and Nilofer hospitals which have gone to Telangana state.
Barring King George Hospital, there are no super specialty services in government hospitals in Guntur, Vijayawada and Kurnool where nearly 15,000 to 20,000 patients visit government hospitals daily for treatment.
The Government General Hospital at Guntur is presently the only hospital for coastal AP people but the absence of super-specialty services is forcing patients to go to private hospitals incurring huge financial burden.
The GGH with 1,500 beds is the main hospital for coastal districts. It treats nearly 5,000 outpatients daily. The much needed cardio thoracic unit is inoperative and other super-specialty services are unavailable.
GGH was started as district headquarters hospital in 1848 on the Grand Trunk Road. The GGH doctors used to refer patients to NIMS, Osmania, Gandhi and Nilofer hospitals but that has changed after state bifurcation.
YSR Congress leader, Ambati Rambabu alleged that NIMS and other super specialty hospitals are denying treatment to patients even in emergency conditions on the basis of nativity. He alleged that super-specialty services can be started in Vijayawada, Guntur, Kurnool and other areas but the government is reluctant to do it.
Dr D. Ramprasad, principal of Kurnool Medical College principal, lamented that despite repeated appeals, the government is reluctant to sanction even one super specialty service, PG courses at Kurnool hospital.