Telangana excels in public healthcare, MBBS seats to go up to 5,240

Nearly 30,000 people in Telangana receive government medical care everyday, showing the growing people’s confidence in the public healthcare system, the state government has said.

Under the ”Kanti Velugu” (free eye check-up) programme, 1.52 crore people were screened and 41 lakh visually impaired people have been provided customised spectacles and medicines free of cost, an official release said on Tuesday.

“The state government’s medical care is saving thousands of rupees for poor middle class families. The government is giving utmost priority to the expansion of medical education with the determination of the people of the state to meet their medical needs. As part of this, the government established the Kaloji Narayana Rao Health University in Warangal,” it said.

Throughout the state, 21 government hospitals are offering CT scan services and Cath Labs were set up in Hyderabad as well as Khammam, Warangal and Adilabad to perform heart surgeries.

The Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao-led regime has increased the per-bed expenditure from Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,500 to improve sanitation management in government hospitals while dietary charges for general patients have been increased from Rs 40 to Rs 80 per day.

The number of MBBS seats in the state has been raised to 1,649 in 2021 from 700 in 2014 and the number is expected to go up to 5,240 after establishing a medical college in every district.

Similarly, the number of postgraduate medical seats has increased from 531 in 2014 to 967 by 2021. The number of super specialty seats rose from 82 in 2014 to 153 by 2021. The number of PG and super specialty seats will go up to 2,500 and 1,000 respectively in future.

About 18 important government hospitals in the city provide three meals at just Rs five to the attendants of the patients benefitting 18,600 people, the release added.

Telangana has allotted Rs 3,091 crore in the state budget.