Family Doctor' Scheme Helps 1.57 Cr with Healthcare Services in First 3 Months

VIJAYAWADA: The Family Doctor programme in Andhra Pradesh is yielding good results as more than one-and-a-half crore people availed the services in their native places/villages during the first three months of its launch in April.

Officials said, “As many as 1,57,29,183 persons availed the special healthcare services under this programme during the period. This significantly reduced the out-of-pocket expenses for patients and ensured continuous medication for individuals with proven non-communicable diseases (NCD).”

The motto of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy Reddy is to provide medical services to the public at their doorsteps with a human touch. He stated in April that the programme would herald revolutionary changes in extending healthcare to the needy.

“Just like pensions are being handed over to the beneficiaries at their doorstep, healthcare will be provided to them at their doorstep,” the Chief Minister had said.

Meanwhile, to further fortify the state’s healthcare services, the family doctor programme has recruited 52,000 employees, including 3,899 specialists and 2,552 medical officers.

Locals P. Nageswara Rao and N. Lakshmi said the family doctor scheme proved very useful to them, mainly the rural populations, to avail the best treatment. “Officials are informing us in advance about the visits of doctors,” they said.

Health minister Vidadala Rajani said the family doctor concept was Jagan Mohan Reddy’s brainchild. “As many as 2,873 doctors and 15,516 support staff are part of this programme across 26 districts. This proved to be a role model for the country in preventive care,” she said.

She said quality medicines would be supplied to all the needy patients free of charge in every village. “Necessary medical treatment is offered to bed-ridden patients in each village, right inside their homes, and this is the first of its kind initiative in the country’s health care sector,” she said.