Jagananna Aarogya Suraksha camps to be held regularly in AP from January : YS Jagan

AMARAVATI: “Coming January 1, 2024, Jagananna Aarogya Suraksha camps will be held on a regular basis,” Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy announced on Monday. He held a comprehensive review of the first-of-its-kind initiative with district collectors at his camp office in Tadepalle.

YS Jagan lauded the health department officials for the successful implementation of the Jagananna Suraksha programme that helped in seamless delivery of healthcare services to lakhs of citizens free of cost across the State. The officials informed the Chief Minister that health screening was conducted for approximately 1.44 crore families and over 6.4 crore rapid tests were successfully conducted in less than a month.

Since the launch of the programme, health screening of 91 percent of urban and 95 percent of rural households had been successfully completed, the officials said. They also informed YS Jagan that the scheduled medical camps were nearing completion, with 98 percent of the 10,032 village secretariats and 77 per cent of the ward secretariats successfully conducting these camps The program, which began on September 30, is all set to culminate on November 9, 2023, the officials added.

The officials apprised the Chief Minister of how they had diligently visited every household, screened and tested individuals, and later organized camps for testing and administering medication. These camps were equipped with specialized doctors who paid attention to each and every individual and sometimes even referred to hospitals for any further treatment, the officials said.

Referring to the fact that eye-care turned out to be a big hit amongst the masses, the officials said that over 8.7 lakh people underwent eye tests for free and over 5.22 lakh people were provided eyeglasses for free by the YSRCP Government. After the first round of consultation at JAS camps, about 73,000 individuals are now opting for eye surgery, all of which was expected to be completed by the end of December, the officials added.

“We focused on diagnosing and treating patients with hypertension, diabetes, leprosy, tuberculosis, and hearing problems. Early intervention, such as cochlear implants for children with hearing issues, was a priority during this campaign and referred to specialist doctors for immediate attention,” the officials said and added that as of November 5, approximately 85,000 patients detected through the JAS camps were referred to network hospitals or medical colleges for further treatment.

“The Government is actively tracking their progress through a mobile app and ensuring they receive the necessary care,” the officials said. The officials also informed the Chief Minister that those health cases which were not covered under Arogyasri were referred to district hospitals for free medical treatment. Moreover, steps were also being taken to provide Rs 500 travel expenses for such patients to encourage them to visit referral hospitals, the officials added.

The Chief Minister reiterated his aim of quality healthcare for all and stated that, ‘special consideration shall be given to diseases not covered under Arogyasri, ensuring free treatment for all. “To support those suffering from expensive chronic diseases, the officials should ensure that the government is providing necessary medications and mapping them to village ward secretariats, village clinics, and family doctors,” YS Jagan said.

While asking the officials to ensure optimum care, YS Jagan said, “It shall be ensured that all the patients detected in the Suraksha Camps are provided free and suitable health care until they are completely healed.’ CM Jagan went on to add, ‘It's important to note that the camps under Jagananna Aarogya Suraksha are not your typical medical camps. The real work begins once camp management concludes, with a commitment to supporting patients until they are fully healed,” he said.

The officials from the health department said that they were committed to expanding health services and ensuring that people were aware of accessing Arogyasri services. “To spread awareness about the program, the State Government will run an awareness campaign from November 15 to December 15, and Arogyasri cards will be distributed. Aarogyasri services are currently being offered in 2,295 hospitals to eliminate out-of-pocket expenses for medical treatment,” the officials said.

The officials apprised the Chief Minister that in terms of health infrastructure, the construction of 17 medical colleges was in progress, with each district having a teaching hospital offering state-of-the-art services. Existing medical colleges are being renovated. Efforts were being made to fill all vacant health sector positions, and the Medical Recruit Board was established, the officials added.

YS Jagan also informed the district collectors that a new program called 'Why AP Needs Jagan' is all set to begin on November 9, aimed at making people aware of the welfare schemes as well as developmental works undertaken by the YSRCP Government in the last four-and-a-half years.