NDA govt sets intense focus on health sector
Speaking after inaugurating buildings built at a cost of Rs 29.7 crore in the premises of the Government Hospital for Mental Care and the Ayushman Arogya Mandir built at a cost of Rs 1.38 crore here on Tuesday, he said that extensive steps are taken to strengthen the health sector in the Andhra Pradesh.
'Visakha Institute of Medical Science will be developed on a par with Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences,' he assured.
Keeping long term goals in view, the Minister assured that M.Sc. or Diploma in Psychiatry and MPhil courses with 30 seats in Clinical Psychology will be introduced from the next academic year.
Also, a decision will be made after considering the name change of the mental hospital in Visakhapatnam, which is meeting the health needs of the North Andhra districts.
'In the past five years, the previous government was not able to complete the building work even though there were funds. The NDA government is able to construct buildings with modern facilities by raising funds through centrally-sponsored schemes,' Satya Kumar informed, inaugurating the Centre for Excellence at Government Hospital for Mental Care.
Further, the Minister expressed concern that 15 crore people in the country are suffering from mental illnesses and there number of psychiatrists available in the state is very less.
He opined that there are only 25,000 psychiatrists in the country and there is a need to increase the number to 50,000 soon.
Visakhapatnam MP M Sribharat, MLAs P Vishnu Kumar Raju and Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu, MLC and Whip Vepada Chiranjeevi Rao, District Collector M.N. Harendhira Prasad, Mayor Peela Srinivasa Rao, and officials were present.State-of-the-art infra Meanwhile, in a significant move to expand and enhance healthcare infrastructure, the GITAM Institute of Medical Sciences and Research teaching hospital inaugurated a state-of-the-art 40-bedded emergency medicine department and an advanced operation theatre complex.
The new facilities, aimed at catering to the increasing number of patients from neighbouring districts and states, was inaugurated by Satya Kumar Yadav in the presence of the MP, institution's Vice-Chancellor Prof. Eroll D'Souza and GIMSR Pro Vice-Chancellor B.Gitanjali, among others. 'Apart from providing corporate-level healthcare facilities to the common man, the idea is to bring in all medical services under one umbrella to build a healthier society,' the MP underlined.
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