Provide Covid booster doses free of cost, Harish Rao tells Centre

Hyderabad: Health Minister, T Harish Rao on Friday demanded the Centre to provide free Covid booster doses for all eligible individuals in Telangana. After inaugurating a CT scan at Chest Hospital, Erragadda, Koti ENT Hospital, the Minister said that Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) must immediately provide booster Covid doses so that they can be administered from Government Covid Vaccination Centres.

In April, Harish Rao had written a letter to Union Health Minister, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, urging him to provide booster doses for free of cost at government Covid vaccine centres. At present, the MOHFW has made the booster Covid doses available only at private hospitals.Harish Rao also warned private and government hospitals from conducting unnecessary surgeries.

"There is a need for private hospitals to avoid unnecessary surgeries. The State government will encourage hard working Government health care workers and take strict action on those who are neglect their duties," he said.

Earlier in the day, Health Minister T Harish Rao inaugurated a CT scan worth Rs 2.15 crore at Government Chest Hospital in Erragadda of Hyderabad. The Minister laid foundation stone for the construction of an integrated building complex at Koti ENT hospital where he also inaugurated a CT scan. Harish Rao also inaugurated vital surgical equipment in the operation theatres at Sultanbazaar maternity hospital and interacted with the officials there.

Speaking at Erragadda Chest hospital, the Minister said that the CT Scan will play a important role in detecting pulmonary nodules, abnormal tissue in the lungs that could indicate lung cancer, among poor patients.

Jubilee Hills MLA, Maganti Gopinath, local public representatives and senior health officials from the hospital including Superintendent, Chest Hospital, Dr Mahaboob Khan were present during the inauguration of CT scan at Chest Hospital in Erragadda.