HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Monday appealed to Covid-19 patients to undergo treatment in government hospitals free of cost. They would get free food and medicines, he said.
The Chief Minister urged the people to take advantage of the facilities in government hospitals including oxygen, beds and medicines for free instead of going to private hospitals and spending huge amounts. Since the treatment is good at government hospitals too, people should prefer them, he said.
Rao said that as on Monday 6,926 beds lay vacant in government hospitals in the state. Of these, 2,252 were oxygen beds, 533 ICU beds and 4,140 general beds.
The CM's appeal comes in the wake of increasing demand from various quarters to include Covid treatment under Aarogyasri to enable patients
from poorer sections avail treatment at private hospitals free of cost.
The CM also announced the setting up of oxygen production plants of 324 metric tonnes capacity in 48 government hospitals across the state to overcome the problem of oxygen shortage for Covid patients and make the State self-reliant in oxygen supply.
The decision was taken at a review meeting held by the CM on the Coronavirus situation attended by senior officials at Pragathi Bhavan. It was decided to set up an additional 100 metric tonne capacity liquid oxygen plant in Hyderabad.
Accordingly, six plants of 16 metric tonnes, 15 plants of eight metric tonnes, 27 plants of four metric tonnes will be set up in government hospitals in Hyderabad and in district hospitals and area hospitals in all districts.
The CM asked oxygen manufacturers to provide 11 oxygen tankers of 20-tonne capacity each in the next ten days. It was also decided to set up six new medical colleges in the government sector to boost health infrastructure.
The new colleges will come up at Sangareddy, Jagtial, Kothagudem, Wanaparthy, Mancherial and Mahbubabad. Nursing colleges will also be set up.
The CM asked officials to make arrangements for the equipment and the required medicines in ENT Hospital in Koti, Gandhi Hospital in Secunderabad, medical college hospitals in the districts to treat the black fungus disease among Covid-19 patients.
The CM said, if need be, 25 Microdebrider machines and HD endoscopic cameras will be purchased. He also instructed the officials to immediately invite global tenders for the supply of the vaccines. He asked officials to be in touch with the Centre regularly on the vaccination quota and get the vaccines to the state.
The officials informed the CM that the state received 57,30,220 doses of vaccine and had a stock of 1,86,780 doses. Of this, 58,230 are Covaxin and 1,28,550 are Covishield vaccines.
To give medical treatment facilities and medicines to the poor in government hospitals, 12 regional sub centers should be formed at Siddipet, Wanaparthy, Mahbubabad, Kothagudem, Nagarkurnool, Suryapet, Bhongir, Jagtial, Mancherial, Bhupalpally, Vikarabad, and Gadwal. The CM said the 200-bed hospitals in Anantagiri in Vikarabad, Singareni, RTC, CISF, Railways, Army and ESI hospitals should be brought in for Covid treatment.
