Manyam to Launch Patient Assistance Scheme Today
Collector said volunteers will assist senior citizens, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, critically ill and weak patients, and first-time hospital visitors
Visakhapatnam: After the success of ‘Mustabu’, which was appreciated by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu at the recent collectors' conference, the collector of Parvathipuram, Manyam district, is launching a new scheme, a volunteer-based patient guidance and wheelchair assistance scheme, on Tuesday.
Explaining the scheme, the collector said government hospitals in Manyam district cater to large numbers of patients every day, particularly from rural, tribal, elderly, and economically weaker sections. Many patients struggle to navigate hospital systems due to illiteracy, physical limitations, or unfamiliarity with hospital processes. A brief survey revealed common challenges, including difficulty with outpatient registration and ticket generation, and confusion about departments, investigations, and pharmacy services. The other issues were mobility constraints among elderly, disabled, pregnant, and critically ill patients. Inadequate wheelchair coordination due to staffing constraints leads to delays in care, overcrowding, increased stress among patients and attendants, and an additional burden on hospital staff.
“To address these gaps, the Manyam Helping Hands initiative is proposed as a structured, non-clinical, volunteer-based patient support system,’’ the collector said.
He said volunteers will assist senior citizens, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, critically ill and weak patients, and first-time hospital visitors. The collector said volunteers could be drawn from the Red Cross, district- and unit-level Indian Red Cross Societies, and that preference would be given to volunteers with prior hospital or disaster-response experience.
