TS fever survey turns a model for all States

Khammam: Finance and medical and health minister T Harish Rao said the second state-wide fever survey would begin shortly. He opined that the union government should think of reducing the gap for taking precaution dose. He said the State government was getting praise for the novel exercise to gauge the extent of fevers spreading in the society. He said fever survey has been completed in 29 districts as of Friday, the survey covered 77,33,427 houses and the government handed over around 3,45,950 medicine kits.

Accompanied by transport minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar and MP Nama Nageswara Rao, Harish Rao inaugurated the cath lab and trauma care unit set up at a cost of Rs 22 crore at the newly constructed block on the premises of the headquarters hospital here on Friday. The cath lab alone cost the government up to Rs 7.5 crore. Khammam hospital is the fourth one to have cath lab after NIMS, Osmania and MGM Hospital.

Speaking on the occasion, Harish Rao informed that the new block to be christened as the emergency medicine wing would be provided with all required equipment and adequate staff to provide care to the needy patients. A milk bank was also inaugurated on the occasion at the mother and child healthcare block at the hospital. It will cater to the needs of newborn by encouraging voluntary breast milk donation by lactating women.

The health minister praised the CM for meeting the long-felt need of the Khammam people who had hitherto to go all the way to Hyderabad for availing of cath lab services. The treatment which would cost lakhs in private hospitals would now be provided free to the poor people. He also said cardiologists were already appointed at the cath lab. Acceding to the request of transport minister Ajay Kumar, the government would soon arrange chemotherapy and radio therapy, too, at the Khammam hospital. As for the MRI scanning, it would be offered from next year.

Briefing on the plants to augment medical infrastructure across the state, Harish Rao informed that plans were afoot to develop the existing mortuaries across the state. Appreciating the 94 per cent vaccination coverage which stood the district at the second place after Karimnagar in the State, he asked officials to reach 100 per cent soon.

He also said the Khammam headquarters hospital would be upgraded to 550 bed hospital and there are plans for setting up Basti Dawakhanas in Khammam town in the next two months.