Vijayawada: AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu today said there was need to “promote population” in the country keeping in tune with the “changing trends”.
Launching the Chandranna Samchara Chikitsa mobile vans here on Wednesday, the CM said countries like Japan and China were facing problems as a majority of their populations was filled with old people.
“Hitherto, our focus was on population control. But now we have to promote population. The trend has changed,” Mr Naidu said at the event. “Countries like Japan and China are facing problems because of aging population. Now they are also going for population promotion. The trend has changed, so we too should promote population,” the CM said.
He added that the Infant Mortality Rate and Maternal Mortality Rate were showing steady decline in the state. “In 2014, AP topped the southern states in IMR and MMR but now we are on top in the country in terms of decline in these two parameters,” he said.
Mr Naidu said that his government was trying to develop AP as a healthcare hub. “The UK is setting up a world-class hospital in our new capital Amaravati. AP will also have a world-class medical college. AIIMS is also coming up at Mangalagiri with modern facilities,” he added.
The CM launched ‘Chandranna Samchara Chikitsa', a mobile health service facility for rural areas. About 275 mobile medical units would go round 13,000 villages twice a month to provide healthcare services to people. Each mobile unit would have a doctor, nurse, pharmacist and a lab technician and will be equipped with latest medicare facilities.
Mr Naidu also launched the Rota Virus vaccination and Inactivated Polio virus Vaccine immunisation programmes on the occasion. A free CT scan facility in government hospitals in Tekkali, Chirala, Gudur and Proddutur on a pilot basis were also launched by Naidu.
Union Civil Aviation Minister P. Ashok Gajapati Raju, state health minister Kamineni Srinivas and other ministers and officials were also present at the event.
