Hyderabad: The state government has decided to postpone the launching of free diagnostic services in Telangana to June 9. It initially announced that the major health initiative taken up by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao would begin from Monday. A CMO press release on Sunday said the programme had been put off to Wednesday and hinted at the government making the launching of diagnostic services in 19 district headquarters a grand affair.
The Chief Minister’s health initiative will revolutionise medicare in the state as 57 tests some of which are charged exorbitantly by private labs and hospitals would be offered free of cost. The official note on these services did not indicate about restricting the tests only to the poor as defined under the Below Poverty Line category.
The services which include testing for Covid-19 are expected to play a major role, particularly at a time when the state is gearing up to face the third wave of the pandemic.
The Chandrashekar Rao-led Cabinet will meet on June 8 and discuss Wednesday’s programme. The Chief Minister wanted all ministers to be present at respective centres and launching should take place simultaneously. He will decide on which minister should be present at what centre in the Cabinet meet.
The Cabinet will take stock of the Covid situation, which according to the official press release, had been seeing a downward trend, and the impact of lockdown on the economy. Suitable decision would be taken on lockdown, the release said.
The Cabinet will also review ongoing irrigation works, ensuing Kharif agricultural operations, availability of seeds and controlling sale of spurious seeds besides availability of fertilisers and pesticides.
