Telangana: Aarogyasri ceiling enhanced to Rs 5 lakh

Hyderabad: The State government has given a big push to health infrastructure and medical facilities which include the enhancement of ceiling on Aarogyasri from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, establishment of medical colleges in every district, increase in total number of beds in NIMS hospital and free diagnosis facilities to all poor.

Finance Minister T Harish Rao proposed in the budget that for heart, liver and bone morrow transplantations, assistance up to Rs 10 lakh would be provided. The enhancement of ceiling on Aarogyasri would cover many serious ailments which require huge money to undergo surgical treatment.

Aiming to improve medical education facilities in the State, the government has decided to establish government medical colleges in all districts. These would be set up over next two years. This calendar year, the government will start eight new medical colleges at Asifabad, Bhupalpally, Vikarabad, Sircilla, Janagaon, Kamareddy, Karimnagar and Khammam. In 2023, new medical colleges would be established in Medak, Medchal, Ranga Reddy, Mulugu, Warangal, Narayanpet, Gadwal and Yadadri. To speed up the works, the government has proposed an outlay of Rs 1,000 crore towards the establishment of new medical colleges. Already eight medical colleges are sanctioned at Mancherial, Ramagundam, Jagtial, Wanaparthy, Nagarkurnool, Mahabubabad, Kothagudem and Sangareddy. Steps are being taken to ensure that these colleges start functioning from the next academic year, the Minister said.

The bed capacity of NIMS (Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences) would also be increased to 2,000 from the present 1,500 beds. The four new multispecialty hospitals in Hyderabad would be equipped with 1,000 beds with modern medical treatment facility. The proposed "Health City" in Warangal would have facilities for transplantation of kidneys, liver and other organs. Modern cancer treatment facilities such as chemotherapy and radiation would also be made available.

Encouraged by the response to Basti Dawakhanas, the government has also decided to open another 60 of them across various municipal corporations and municipalities in the State. The 15th Finance Commission has praised the functioning of these Basti Dawakhanas and has recommended that the other States should also establish similar facilities, he added.