Vijayawada, March 09, 2023: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has said that the family doctor concept would be implemented in a full-fledged manner, starting at a village clinic on March 15, suggesting that the referral services under the Aarogyasri scheme should be made a part of it.
He wanted the phone number through which complaints related to Aarogyasri scheme could be lodged to be printed on the cards given to the beneficiaries.
Addressing a review meeting on the Health Department at his camp office on March 6 (Monday), Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said the ‘family doctors’ would take care of general out-patients, pregnant women, non-communicable disease management and health of children at the anganwadi centres and at schools.
They would give due priority to treating anaemia cases and take special care of bed-ridden patients in addition to some other services. They would also build a database of the cases handled by them, which helps in doing the follow-ups.
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said people who were not covered in the first phases of the YSR Kanti Velugu scheme should be diagnosed during the third phase at the earliest and assistance be given free of cost.
Due priority should be attached to checking the eyesight of children in schools, and providing treatment for glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy under the Aarogyasri scheme. Screening the people for eyesight problems has to be done at the ward and village secretariats.
Referring to the medical colleges under construction, officials informed the Chief Minister that classes were targeted to be commenced at the colleges coming up in Vizianagaram, Rajahmundry, Eluru, Machilipatnam and Nandyal from the 2023-24 academic year. One hundred and forty-six new ‘108’ ambulances were being procured to replace vehicles that outlived their utility.
The Chief Minister asked the officials to maintain adequate stocks of medicines at the village clinics and in the 104 vehicles, which would be attending to people in need of treatment for various ailments.
According to the reports published in thehindu.com Health Minister V. Rajini, Chief Secretary K.S. Jawahar Reddy, Principal Secretary (medical and health) M.T. Krishna Babu, Commissioner J. Nivas, Aarogyasri CEO Harendira Prasad and A.P. State Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation Vice-Chairman D. Muralidhar Reddy was present.
