Health Gets 30 per Cent More Funds Than Last Year: Minister

Vijayawada: Health Minister Satyakumar Yadav has said five multi-specialty hospitals are being constructed in tribal areas at a cost of Rs 50 crore each.

The minister thanked the state assembly for sanctioning a budget grant of Rs 19,264 crore for medical and health, and noted that this was 30 per cent more than the budget allocations for health from the previous government last year. He said the government aimed to create a healthy, wealthy, happy Andhra Pradesh.

He said health records have been created for 69 lakh students up to Intermediate. Screening tests for various diseases have been conducted for 1.40 crore people. Preventive cancer treatment is being provided at 19 health centers across the state. As part of the STEMI programme, 2,140 lives have been saved by giving free injections costing Rs 45,000 each.

Satyakumar said MRI scans, which were not available to the poor in the past, are also being done and food safety labs are also made available.

He said, “Some ASHA workers are on a stir seeking salary increase. They are demanding a salary of 10,000 in AP. The chief minister recently decided to increase their retirement age to 62 years and grant them a gratuity of Rs 1.50 lakh.”

Satyakumar said the previous government had taken loans for medical services, medicines and 108 emergency services. The present government has been burdened with an arrears load of Rs 6,500 crore. Insurance is being made available in a hybrid system to provide medical services ranging from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh to poor and middle-class people, he said.

The health minister said 190 new ambulances and 53 Mahaprasthanam ambulances are being purchased for the 108 services.