VIJAYAWADA: Jagan Mohan Reddy regime has taken a people-friendly decision of running out-patient services at all government teaching hospitals daily in the afternoon from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., in addition to the morning timings of 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. throughout the state with immediate effect.
Giving effect to what are being called “evening clinics”, Director of Medical Education (DME) Dr D.V.S.L. Narasimham on Monday issued a communique, instructing all principals and superintendents of teaching hospitals to start running their out-patient wards in the afternoon also.
These clinics will check the health of patients related to broad specialities like general surgery, general medicine, orthopaedics and gynaecology. The evening clinics are being started to improve health care services in Andhra Pradesh through all teaching hospitals of the government.
The DME has instructed that resident medical officers in charge of evening OPDs maintain separate registers. He wanted the principals and medical superintendents to conduct regular review meetings on a fortnightly basis and discuss issues related to service delivery in the evenings.
YSR Congress NTR, Krishna and Guntur medical wing in-charge Dr Mehboob Sheikh said the concept of evening clinics proves the determination of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to make speciality medical services more accessible to poor and middle-class people.
He said all infrastructure facilities have been provided in hospitals and medical colleges. About 50,000 doctors and medical staff have been appointed in all departments. Steps have been taken to establish 17 new medical colleges Further, speciality doctors are going to poor patients' homes under the family doctor system and providing free treatment, a concept not seen anywhere in the history of the country.
In addition, Dr Mehboob Sheik said through Aarogyasri, free treatment is being provided to the poor in leading hospitals of Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring states.
“Evening clinics have been introduced to serve patients, particularly the poor, in the evening too. This is proof of Jagan Mohan Reddy's sincerity towards ensuring good health. It will provide relief to those who cannot go to hospitals in the morning,” the YSRC doctors’ wing in charge underlined.
