YSRCP govt flayed for neglecting state hospitals

Guntur: Minister for medical and health Y Satya Kumar Yadav lambasted the previous YSRCP government for its failure to prioritise the development of government hospitals. During Thursday’s Legislative Council question hour, he revealed that while the former administration had allocated Rs 14,106 crore for hospitals’ renovations under the Nadu-Nedu scheme, it spent a mere Rs 2,445 crore.

The minister highlighted stark disparities in spending, particularly in tribal areas, where Rs 246 crore was earmarked for five government hospitals, but only Rs 24 crore was utilised. He accused the YSRCP government of squandering opportunities to leverage financial assistance from Nabard and the Central government for building super-specialty hospitals.

Yadav further pointed out that of the Rs 3,400 crore budgeted for hospital infrastructure over five years, only Rs 963 crore was spent. In contrast, he praised the current coalition government for filling 59 per cent of vacant posts in government hospitals to enhance medical services and for continuing hospital renovation efforts.

Looking ahead, the minister announced plans to establish 3,300 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Infrastructure Mission and to construct 100-bed hospitals in every Assembly constituency through public-private partnerships (PPP). However, he ruled out the possibility of a medical college in Nandigama.

Satya Kumar also addressed pending bills, stating that the YSRCP government had left Rs 1,000 crore in unpaid dues to medicine suppliers. The current government has since cleared Rs. 700 crore of these dues, ensuring there is no shortage of medicines in government hospitals across the state.