VIJAYAWADA: The year 2023 saw Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy paying special attention to the health sector in Andhra Pradesh through implementation of the Family Doctor concept and introducing village clinics and Jagananna Arogya Suraksha camps across the state.
The public health system in AP received a booster dose in 2023 with Jagananna Suraksha camps held in every nook and corner of the state and hiking YSR Aarogyasri limit to Rs 25 lakh.
This apart, infrastructure was developed at Uddhanam and other places and the Family Doctor concept was taken forward in impressive ways.
To make YSR Aarogyasri more accessible to the weaker sections, the chief minister enhanced the number of ailments and procedures being treated under the scheme to 3255.
To meet the growing requirements under the YSR Aarogyasri services, the chief minister launched newly built medical colleges at Vizianagaram, Machilipatnam, Rajahmundry, Eluru and Nandyala, taking the total number of medical seats in government colleges to 2935 from the existing 2185.
This apart, a sum of Rs 3280 crore was allotted under the Nadu-Nedu for upgrading the existing 11 medical colleges. While the work on constructing 12 new medical colleges is in full swing, the government has also sanctioned more nursing colleges, adding an additional strength of 1,200 seats.
The year added a special page in the state’s history as the chief minister inaugurated a kidney research centre and super specialty hospital at Palasa in the Srikakulam district. This ended the anxiety of the north Andhra people over the increasing incidence of kidney ailments in the Uddhanam area.
A massive awareness campaign was scheduled in two phases on how to get free medical treatment at 2295 hospitals under the scheme.
Aarogyasri brochures containing detailed information on availing of free medical services have been extensively distributed to the people. The campaign, which coincided with the distribution of 1,42,34,464 new Aarogyasri cards, brought awareness among the people on treatment procedures being followed at various hospitals and the access route.
Nearly 13 lakh people have undergone free medical treatment this year under Aarogyasri, registering a high of 25 per cent compared to last year.
During the frequent reviews on the medical and health sector, the chief minister having a keen eye on details insisted on Ragi Malt in Jagananna Goru Muddha to upgrade nutrition levels among students.
With the first phase of Jagananna Aarogya Suraksha camps covering a major portion of rural and urban areas, the health department conducted 6.4 crore rapid medical tests covering 1.44 crore families.
The Aarogya Suraksha helped commoners as 78,292 persons were identified with defective eyesight. Of them, 13,614 had undergone cataract surgeries while 7,272 were treated for other ailments.
With the daily monitoring of 104 and 108 services and linking the family doctor services and village clinics to YSR Aarogyari, both preventive and curative healthcare systems have “grown by leaps and bounds and become role models for other states,” officials stated.
The innovative family doctor concept, the brainchild of the chief minister, is being implemented in close coordination with PHCs, ANMs, CHOs, ASHA workers and village clinics that are equipped with 105 types of medicines and 14 types of diagnostic kits for medical tests.
Family doctors and village clinics in AP will also focus on eliminating anaemia and malnutrition among children and pregnant women and lactating mothers, paving the way for a healthy society, officials said in a year-end review.
