Hyderabad: Telangana IT and industries minister K T Rama Rao has warned private hospitals against presenting hefty bills to patients. Responding to questions from Twitterati on the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues on Sunday, Rama Rao said the state government has in the past taken action against erring hospitals and will not hesitate to do so again.
Replying to a question about the stance of the state government on Pothireddypadu issue, the minister said “we will fight for our rightful share in Krishna waters. Already an SLP (special leave petition) has been filed in the
Supreme Court by the state government.”
Reacting to a question pertaining to Telangana’s contribution to the Ram temple construction in Ayodhya, Rama Rao said, “We will pray and hope for Ram rajya
where people of all faiths, castes and classes will be respected and treated equally, as enshrined in Constitution of our great country.”
He reiterated the State government’s commitment to provide quality
treatment to COVID-19 patients in government hospitals.
Pointing out that while the mortality rate is less than 1 per cent in Telangana, the recovery rate in the state was the highest in the country at 72 per cent, KTR said that coronavirus testing was already underway in more than 1,200 centres across the State and that over 23,000 tests were being conducted every day and the testing will be increased to more than 40,000 tests per day in a few days.
The Minister appealed to the people stating that “rather than spreading anti-government propaganda against government hospitals, people should also recognise the services being rendered by these hospitals where thousands of people have already been treated and sent home safely.”
Maintaining that the government alone cannot fight the pandemic, he urged people to join the ongoing battle against COVID-19 across the world.
KTR said, “Fear psychosis, stigma and social ostracism, were causing a lot of grief. I am very pained to see the story of an old couple committing suicide recently to not infect their family.”
He emphasised the need to strengthen the medical sector further in not only Telangana state, but also across the world after the Covid-19 experience.
Replying to a question about not implementing Ayushman Bharat to help
people during the pandemic time, he said the state government’s Aarogyasri was more comprehensive than the Central scheme and in fact, Ayushman Bharat was modelled after Aarogyasri.
He made it clear that Telangana was not in race with any other State in fighting the pandemic as each state has its own set of challenges which were being dealt as per WHO (World Health Organisation) and ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) guidelines.
Answering a question about estimated time for vaccine for Covid-19, the minister said “I was told by the vaccine manufacturers that it may take 6-9 months to release the vaccine and he is hoping that the vaccine will come from Telangana first, but will also be happy if it comes up sooner from another country.”
