Hyderabad: The Telangana government is bolstering the health care facilities by increasing budget allocations to improve public health and to effectively deal with emergencies like Covid-19 should they arise, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said on Wednesday.
In his address after laying the foundation for a new block in state-run Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) here, he said the allocation for health sector in the budget was Rs 2,100 crore in 2014 (when the state was formed), while it was over Rs 12,360 crore in 2023-24.
Recalling his interaction with a group of entomologists a few years ago, he quoted them as having said that infectious diseases like COVID-19 may surface again in the future.
“They told me that losses would be minimal where health systems are strong. Many people would die and the losses would be heavy where the health system is weak. We can understand the importance of the health department from this,” he said.
“Since then, we have been strengthening this department by substantially increasing the budget allocation after holding extensive discussions with health minister and department officials to make the health department meet any emergency or any kind of eventuality,” he said.
Rao, who launched distribution of nutrition kits to prevent malnutrition and anaemia in pregnant women on the occasion, said the programme is aimed at avoiding stunted growth among children.
He suggested that officials of the health department and the major state-run hospitals plan for strengthening and expanding the health services.
Pointing to political leaders, media and others finding fault with the health department often over the services rendered in hospitals, he directed Health Minister T Harish Rao and officials to improve the department’s public relations as it would make people fully aware of its services.
The CM also urged the health officials to continue their services to people with proper commitment.
Meanwhile, referring to the laying of foundation stone for a new block in the NIMS, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi stated that he has been seeking upgradation of the state-run Osmania General Hospital (OGH) situated in his Lok Sabha constituency of Hyderabad.
Alleging that there has been no progress though he had a meeting with Health Minister T Harish Rao in May last year, Owaisi termed it as “blatant injustice” against people of Hyderabad constituency.
AIMIM is a ‘friendly party’ of the ruling BRS.
“@TelanganaCMO is laying the foundation stone for extension of NIMS at the cost of ?1571 cr. I have been continuously demanding Osmania Hospital’s urgently needed upgradation & new building. Why this neglect towards the needs of Hyderabadis?,” Owaisi asked in a tweet.
“Despite my meeting last year in May with Akbaruddin Owaisi, engineers, @BRSHarish & other ministers, no progress has been made. This is blatant injustice against people of Hyderabad constituency,” he said.
It is also a ‘grave disservice’ to doctors, medical students and also people of Telangana who come to Hyderabad for treatment, he said.
The dilapidated building (of OGH) does not cater to the needs of a modern hospital.
Noting that the restoration of the old building and construction was estimated to cost Rs 560 crores, Owaisi said the amount was “peanuts” for a “prosperous” state government “that seems to have funds for everything in the world”.
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