Aarogyasri to cover 3,254 procedures in AP from Oct. 15: Minister

Vijayawada: With new additions, the Andhra Pradesh government’s flagship health care scheme, the Dr YSR Aarogyasri, will have a total of 3,254 procedures from Oct. 15, so as to reach its benefits to more people.

Health minister Vidadala Rajani made the announcement here on Friday.

Speaking to the media, she explained in detail as to how chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy planned to reach the benefits of free health care to all the poor. “The number of procedures has been enhanced from 1,059 to 2,446 during the term of  Jagan as Chief Minister,” she said.

The minister noted that former CM late YSR had introduced the health scheme in 2007, with 942 procedures. From 2009 to 2019, only 117 new procedures were added. Jagan as CM brought in 2,195 procedures under the scheme in the last three years, she explained.

The father-son duo added 3,317 procedures to the scheme while Chandrababu Naidu as chief minister added only 117 procedures, she said.

The minister said the present government is taking up construction of 10,032 YSR health clinics and developing new PHCs, UPHCs, CHCs, district hospitals, area hospitals and medical colleges by allocating as high as Rs 16,000 crore in the state budget for health care.

“Under the Nadu-Nedu programme, we are taking up repair works for the hospitals to provide better healthcare to the patients.” She also attributed credit to CM Jagan Reddy for setting up 17 new government medical colleges in the state at one go for the first time.