#2022TheYearThatWas ‘Arogya Telangana’ initiatives see Telangana in pink of its health

HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s government has introduced many health schemes under the ‘Arogya Telangana’ initiative with the goal of bringing qualitative change to the health sector and improving medical infrastructure in the state.

The Telangana state government, which is working tirelessly to improve healthcare facilities in all four corners of the state, has made significant allocations to the health sector in the state budget since the formation of the state.

The administration made sure that the state's healthcare system was robust throughout the year 2022, which began with the third and is ending with a looming fourth wave of COVID-19.

Now that the State has enough medical colleges, hospitals, and oxygen plants, it is fully equipped to combat the coronavirus.

Telangana is all set to combat COVID-19

In a major initiative to avoid shortage of oxygen, the Telangana government has established oxygen production plants with a capacity of 324 tonnes in 48 government hospitals across the State. Initially, there were only 1,400 beds with oxygen facilities; but currently, there are 27,996 beds with oxygen facilities. The state health department has expanded its ability to transport and store oxygen. They have also designated 16 ISO tankers and 24 liquid oxygen tanks. They also established 200 MT of liquid oxygen plants and 76 PSA plants throughout the state.

Basti Dawakhana

Following the success of the Basti Dawakhana, which began in 2018, the Telangana government expanded them throughout the state this year. The government has also established 'Palle Dawakhanas' in response to the success of basti dawakhanas, which were established with the goal of ensuring medical facilities reach the people's doorsteps.

Outpatient Care (OP) in major hospitals has decreased as a result of Basti Dawakhana serving locally, according to statistics. As many as 12 lakh patients visited Osmania Hospital in 2019, while only 5 lakh patients visited outpatient services in 2022.

In 2019, as many as 6.5 lakh patients visited Gandhi Hospital for outpatient services, while only 3.7 lakh patients visited in 2022. Niloufer hospital saw eight lakh patients in 2019, but only 5.3 lakh in 2022.

The number of surgeries has increased significantly since the footfall of OP in general hospitals has decreased, according to the Telangana health department. This has facilitated the ability to concentrate on serious patients and major surgeries.

Super-specialty government healthcare services

The Telangana government has launched medical infrastructure projects worth a staggering Rs 3, 000 crore just in and around Hyderabad in the last 18 months with a focus on developing government super-specialty healthcare facilities that will support the ever-increasing patient load in a metropolitan city like Hyderabad for the next decade.

The State government has been upgrading infrastructure at all major government teaching hospitals in the city over the last 12 to 18 months. All affiliated super-speciality teaching hospitals in other parts of Hyderabad are being upgraded.

Massive investments are being made across Telangana to develop super-speciaity government healthcare services, alongside ongoing efforts to establish 33 new medical colleges and 350-bed specialty teaching hospitals.

KCR nutrition kits for pregnant women

The KCR administration initiated the distribution of "KCR Nutrition Kits" to expectant mothers in nine Telangana districts with high anaemia incidence rates in December 2022. Each package includes one Albendazole tablet, a plastic cup, a plastic basket, one kilogramme of unseeded dates, 500 millilitres of ghee, three bottles of iron syrup, one kilogram of nutrition drink powder.

The nutrition kits are in addition to the BRS government's 2017 "KCR Kits" scheme for pregnant women who choose to give birth in government health centres or hospitals.

The KCR Nutrition Kits will be distributed to pregnant women in the districts of Adilabad, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Jogulamba Gadwal, Kamareddy, Komaram Bheem Asifabad, Mulugu, Nagarkurnool, and Vikarabad that have a high prevalence of anaemia.

Adolescent Health Program

The Telangana government has allocated Rs 69.52 crore to provide sanitary napkins to female students in government schools and colleges over the next 18 months, marking a significant step toward boosting menstrual hygiene among adolescent females.

According to a government order issued in November 2022, 11 lakh adolescent health kits containing a zipper bag, sanitary napkins, and water bottles will be distributed to female students over the next six months. Another 22 lakh sanitary napkin kits will be distributed to girl students in classes VIII to XII during the fiscal year 2023-2024.

Targeted Imaging For Foetal Anomalies (TIFFA) machines across Telangana

As part of Aarogya Telangana, 56 TIFFA scan machines have been established in 44 health facilities across the state. Telangana Health Minister Harish Rao virtually inaugurated the scanning machines at Hyderabad's Government Modern Maternity Hospital in Petlaburj on November 26, 2022.

The new machines were procured for Rs 20 crore and will provide scanning services to 20,000 pregnant women per month. A single session of TIFFA scanning in a private healthcare facility costs between Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,000.

Medical Recruitment

In a major boost for ‘Aarogya Telangana’, the Telangana government approved the creation of 3,897 posts in various categories at nine medical colleges with affiliated government general hospitals under the Director of Medical Education (DME). As many as 433 posts have been created per college in nine new Medical Colleges and attached Government General Hospitals at Rajanna Sircilla, Kamareddy, Vikarabad, Khammam, Karimnagar, Jayashankar Bhupalapally, Komarambeem Asifabad, Janagoan and Nirmal.

Telangana has the highest number of MBBS Seats in the country

Telangana is sixth in the list of states with the most MBBS seats, with 6,690, as the government has focused on establishing one medical college in each district, resulting in a marginal increase in the existing limit of MBBS seats.