Vijayawada: Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav on Thursday said that the coalition government’s continuous monitoring and administrative reforms over the past six months have led to a marked improvement in the State’s public healthcare system.

Reviewing the Health Department’s performance for the first half of the 2025–26 financial year (April–September 2025), Yadav expressed satisfaction over progress in staff attendance, outpatient (OP) and inpatient (IP) services, diagnostic facilities, and the implementation of key health schemes.

“The government’s efforts since June 2024 are yielding visible results. Accountability and discipline in the system have improved through regular supervision,” the minister said. However, he acknowledged that sustained efforts were still needed for a complete transformation of the sector.

To identify systemic gaps inherited from the previous regime, Yadav introduced a district-wise performance evaluation and ranking system in November 2024. Based on this framework, districts and divisions were graded on their performance during the first six months of the current fiscal year.

Attendance among government doctors and health staff rose from 83 per cent in April to 92 per cent by September, averaging 87 per cent for the period. Nurses and paramedical staff recorded over 90 per cent attendance, while doctors averaged 82 per cent. The minister directed officials to take steps to further improve attendance and service delivery.

Among government general hospitals, Visakhapatnam’s King George Hospital (93.13%), Kurnool GGH (92.71 per cent), and Rajamahendravaram GGH (91.46 per cent) ranked highest in performance. Nellore (66.44 per cent), Eluru (76.3 per cent), and Guntur (77.84 per cent) hospitals lagged behind. In the medical college category, SV Medical College, Tirupati (100 per cent), Rangaraya Medical College, Kakinada (99.92 per cent), and Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam (95.3 per cent) topped the list, while Siddhartha Medical College, Vijayawada and Guntur GMC recorded lower attendance.

Public hospitals across the state registered over 4 crore OP consultations during the six-month period — a 20 per cent increase. The average OP waiting time dropped from 42 minutes to 26 minutes, attributed to the expansion of OP and ABHA registration counters. Diagnostic services also improved, with 2.5 crore tests conducted, showing a 6.1 per cent rise over previous levels.

East Godavari, Kadapa, and Tirupati districts led in implementing National Health Mission (NHM) programmes, while Alluri Sitarama Raju, Guntur, and Srikakulam lagged. Yadav said the findings from the evaluation would guide corrective measures to strengthen accountability, efficiency, and public satisfaction in the State’s healthcare system.