Except for three, shortage of hospital beds in all districts of Telangana

Hyderabad: Except for the districts like Hyderabad, Adilabad and Hanamkonda, there is a shortage of hospital beds in all the districts in the State.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) found that against the requirement of 35,004 beds for the population as per Census 2011, available beds in government hospitals were only 27,996 beds which resulted in shortage of 7,008 beds. Except for the districts of Adilabad, Hyderabad and Hanumakonda, shortage of beds was noticed in all the other districts. Of the 1,113 Sub-Centre works sanctioned during 2016-22, 331 (30 per cent) have been completed, 454 (41 per cent) were in various stages of completion, 148 (13 per cent) were in the tendering stage and 180 (16 per cent) have not been taken up.

The CAG has also found a shortage of CHCs, PHCs and Basti Dawakhanas in the State. According to the CAG, there were availability of 69 per cent of Community Health Centers, 25 per cent Primary Health Centers (PHCs/UPHCs) and 29 per cent Sub-centers/Basti Dawakhanas (SCs) available in the State. There were no CHCs in the Districts of Jangaon, Rajanna Sircilla and Hanumakonda. In the majority of the Districts, the number of persons who were being served by PHCs and SCs were not as per norms.

The CAG has said that the TSMSIDC has not maintained a comprehensive database of the construction activities since 2019 and as a result, it could not ensure effective monitoring. The envisaged 50 bedded Integrated AYUSH Hospitals had not materialised in any of the three Districts including Vikarabad, Siddipet and Jayashankar Bhupalpally and the State also lost central funding of Rs 7.20 crore.

The academic building at Osmania Medical College (OMC) constructed and handed over in October 2016 was not put to use as of April 2022, for want of required equipment and furniture. Thus, the expenditure of Rs 17.35 crore incurred on the construction remained unfruitful. The completed Nursing School building at Nizamabad (other than the additional items) was not handed over to the user Department till June 2022, resulting in unfruitful expenditure of Rs 14.44 crore. Due to non-completion of the work Nursing College, Jagtial, Nursing College is functioning in an incomplete building, since July 2019 and also without providing hostel facilities to the students.

The CAG has recommended the government to take necessary steps for establishment of CHCs, PHCs and SCs as per norms. It has also suggested the Government take measures to upgrade all PHCs/ SCs as HWCs by providing necessary Human Resources and infrastructure as per norms. Government may take necessary measures to increase beds in Government hospitals and provide necessary equipment in accordance with IPHS norms in all the health facilities, it said.