AP 1st State to launch family doctor scheme

• YSR Village Health Clinics to be manned by CHOs

• Auxiliary nurse, midwives and ASHA workers will be equipped with medicines and lab facilities

• Doctors details will be displayed at the village secretariats

• 1 PHC will serve every 2,500 people

Lingamguntla (Palnadu Dist): In a first of its kind, Andhra Pradesh Government on Thursday launched a family doctor programme under which doctors and several diagnostic services will be provided at the doorsteps of the people in the nook and corner of the State.

“The scheme, aimed at ushering in a health revolution, will force all other States to replicate it across the nation,” Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy declared, while launching the scheme here. He said a video conferencing facility will also be provided to seek specialist opinion whenever required.

YSR Village Health Clinics to be manned by Community Health Officers (CHOs), ANMs (Auxiliary Nurse and Midwives) and ASHA (Accredited Social Health Assistant) workers, will be equipped with 105 kinds of medicines and lab facilities to conduct 14 kinds of diagnostic tests and 936 Mobile Medical Units (104).

The phone numbers and other details of the doctors will be displayed at the village secretariats. The secretariats will maintain health records and ensure that the medical services are available round-the-clock.

Lambasting the erstwhile TDP Government for not implementing properly the Aarogyasri scheme launched during the tenure of his father late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy as the Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, he said they not only cleared the pending dues but also introduced new ailments in the list of coverage. He said they have released Rs 2.05 lakh crore to women beneficiaries under various welfare schemes during the past four years.

While the number of network hospitals under YSR Aarogyasri went up to 2,261 from 914 in TDP rule, 35.71 lakh people were benefited under the scheme in the past 45 months, he said, adding that the government has so far spent Rs 9,000 crore under Aarogyasri and Rs 990 crore under Arogya Aasara alone making it an average of Rs 3,300 crore annually.

The Chief Minister asked the people to see the difference between the TDP and YSRCP rules in health, educational and other sectors. Elaborating further that the medical procedures under the YSR Aarogyasri went up to 3,255 from 1,000 in TDP rule which avoided payment of Rs 800 crore to hospitals, he said the government has been spending over Rs 18,000 crore every year on medical and health sector against the meagre Rs 8,000 crore spent by the TDP rule.

Under the family doctor programme, qualified doctors in 10,032 Dr YSR Village Health Clinics will extend preventive healthcare to the needy across the State. Just like the pensions are handed over at the households, the healthcare facilities will be extended to the people at their doorstep, the Chief Minister said.

Besides visiting the bed-ridden people and treating them, family doctors will extend free treatment to people suffering from both communicable and non-communicable diseases and to lactating mothers and anaemic school children and women, he said.

The doctors will refer the patients in need of advanced medical treatment to aarogyasri network hospitals while YSR Health Clinics will extend post-treatment healthcare to such patients.

“The government has brought about revolutionary changes in healthcare as it values the lives of people. With one PHC serving every 2,500 people, the family doctor programme will soon turn the State into a role model for other States in preventive healthcare,” he said.

Each mandal will consist of two PHCs while each PHC will comprise two doctors with one of them taking caring of the out-patients and the other visiting YSR Health Clinics in assigned villages, schools and anganwadi centres twice a month, he said adding they will identify people suffering from BP, diabetes and anaemic conditions and provide them treatment in the initial stages preventing serious complications.

Minister for Medical and Health V Rajani earlier hailed the scheme as yet another unique programme conceived and implemented by the Chief Minister.