Providing quality health care and affordable medical education has been one of the top priorities of the Telangana government since the state formation. The state government placed special focus on improving the public health infrastructure and health care delivery in the state through a series of initiatives and schemes. The revolutionary programs undertaken by the Telangana government have strengthened the health sector and realized CM KCR’s vision of ‘Aarogya Telangana’. Some of the major initiatives taken up by the Telangana government.
KCR Kits
KCR Kits program was launched in 2017 with an aim to increase institutional deliveries and reduce Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR). This novel scheme includes a cash component of Rs.12,000 for male child and Rs.13,000 for female child and a kit with 14 essential baby-care items which is given to the new mother. So far, around 13.90 lakh women have benefited from this scheme, incurring an expenditure of Rs. 1,260 crores.
Basthi Dawakhanas
Basthi Dawakhana is an initiative to offer quality health services to urban poor in GHMC and other urban local bodies. One Basti Dawakhana provides services for 5,000-10,000 population and provides services such as consultation, diagnostics and free medicines. Currently, 321 Basti Dawakhanas are providing services in the GHMC area and many more are in the offing. Soon, the number will cross 500. So far, around 2.11 crore patients visited these clinics and the government spent Rs. 94.87 crores.
KCR Nutrition Kits
In order to tackle anaemia and improve haemoglobin levels in pregnant women, the Government launched the flagship programme KCR Nutrition Kits on December 21, 2022, in high-anaemia-prevalent districts such as Adilabad, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Jogulamba Gadwal, Kamareddy, Komaram Bheem Asifabad, Mulugu, Nagar Kurnool, and Vikarabad. Each kit contains one kg of nutritional mix powder, one kg of dates, three bottles of iron syrup, 500 grams of ghee, and a cup. On the occasion of decennial celebrations of Telangana formation day, the government is planning to extend the scheme to all districts.
Arogya Lakshmi
Telangana Government is providing nutritious and healthy meals to all pregnant and lactating mothers registered in all the Anganwadi Centres. In 2022-23, the scheme benefited over 19.08 lakh pregnant and lactating women, & children in the age group of 7 months to 6 years (covered under Balamrutham and Supplementary Nutrition Programme).
Kanti Velugu
With an aim to achieve avoidable blindness free Telangana, Telangana government has initiated this program. Kanti Velugu program includes free eye screening & vision tests for all citizens of the state, providing spectacles free of cost and eye surgeries if required. The second phase of the program started in January 2023 and so far more than 1.5 crore people have undergone eye screening.
Telangana Diagnostics
Telangana Diagnostics was launched in 2018 as an hub & spoke model and currently 20 Hubs are functional. 60 types of tests are conducted in the central hub free of cost and similar hubs are being established in districts. High-end diagnostic equipment like autoanalyzers, digital X-rays, ultrasound scan machines, 2D Echo, mammogram etc will be placed in these hubs where tests related to heart, kidney, lungs and cancer can be performed. So far, a total of 1.50 crore tests were performed benefiting around 42 lakh people.
Aarogyasri
The maximum coverage limit per family per annum has been increased from Rs.2 lakhs to Rs.5 lakhs under this scheme. The scheme has benefitted around 15.40 lakh patients and the government spent Rs. 6,823.59 crores.
Employee and Journalist Health Scheme
Employees and Journalist Health Scheme is implemented to provide cashless treatment to all the state government employees, pensioners, journalists and all their dependent family members. The scheme has been useful to 3.65 lakh people.
Amma Vodi (102 services)
This initiative was introduced to reduce out of pocket expenditure for families and made way for safe deliveries and increased immunization. 300 vehicles are running to transport pregnant women for ANC checkups and for delivery. Pregnant women and infants are also transported for immunization. So far, 18.46 lakh women have benefited under this initiative.
108 Services
Currently 424 ambulances are providing services to meet medical emergencies. After the state formation, 298 new ambulances were purchased and 100 ambulances were received as donations.
From 5 to 26: Government medical colleges like never before
At the time of formation of the state, there were 5 Medical Colleges with 700 MBBS seats (Osmania Medical College, Gandhi Medical College, Kakatiya Medical College & RIMS Adilabad). 4 Medical Colleges added subsequently taking MBBS seats to 1640 (GMC Siddipet, GMC Mahbubnagar, GMC Nalgonda, GMC Suryapet) and 8 Medical Colleges were sanctioned in 2021 newly with intake of 1200 MBBS seats (Sangareddy, Mahbubabad, Mancherial, Jagtial, Wanaparthy, Kothagudem, Nagarkurnool, Ramagundam).
9 more medical colleges were sanctioned in 2022 with an intake capacity of 900 MBBS seats at Nirmal, Asifabad, Bhupalapally, Jangaon, Kamareddy, Karimnagar, Khammam, Sircilla and Vikarabad. Today, with 19 seats available for every one lakh population, the per capita availability of medical seats is the highest in Telangana. Moreover, a new medical college means a new hospital and each of these colleges has a 500-bedded hospital attached to them. Very soon, the state will have a medical college in every district making quality medical education and health care facilities affordable and accessible.
Quality health care with state-of-the-art Super Specialty Hospitals
At the time of state formation there was only one multi-disciplinary super specialty hospital (NIMS) in the state. Government has sanctioned four super specialty hospitals in Hyderabad and one super specialty hospital with around 2000 beds is coming up at Warangal. Also, 2000 more beds will be added in the NIMS, the foundation stone for the expansion of NIMS to be laid by CM KCR during the decennial celebrations of Telangana state formation.
Decentralization of public health care system
Telangana is on the cusp of a public health care revolution in the country with the target of having a super-specialty hospital in every district with 300-350 beds, a 100-bedded area hospital in every constituency and a 30-bedded hospital in every mandal headquarters.
RT-PCR Laboratories
There was only one RT-PCR lab in the state before COVID-19. Currently 27 RT-PCR labs are functional in the state. A COBAS 8800 machine was installed in NIMS which can conduct 4000 tests per day. Another 8 RT-PCR labs are sanctioned with which every district will have at least one RT-PCR lab.
In addition to these, several measures were taken to upgrade the existing facilities and establish mother & child health care centres, Palle Dawakhanas, etc. All the sustained efforts of the state government have placed Telangana among the top-performing states in the health sector with several health indices showing remarkable improvement.
Then (2014-15) vs Now (2020-21)
A quick look at the remarkable improvement of several health indices in Telangana post state formation.
Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR)
Then – 92
Now – 43
Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)
Then – 39
Now – 21
Under 5 Mortality Rate (U5MR)
Then – 41
Now – 26
Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR)
Then – 25
Now – 17
Full Immunization
Then – 68%
Now – 96%
Institutional Deliveries
Then – 91%
Now – 97%
Deliveries in public Hospitals
Then – 30%
Now – 62% (2023)
Hospital beds
Then – 17,150
Now – 27,966
Oxygen beds
Then – 1,400
Now – 27,966
Special New Born Care Units (SNCU)
Then – 18
Now – 35
Intensive Care Units (ICUs)
Then – 3
Now – 20
Maternal ICU
Then – 0
Now – 5
Dialysis Centres
Then – 3
Now – 102 (2023)
Diagnostic Hubs
Then – 0
Now – 20
Blood Banks
Then – 18
Now – 57
RT-PCR Labs
Then – 0
Now – 33
108 Ambulances
Then – 331
Now -424
Amma Vodi Vehicles
Then – 0
Now – 300
Hearse Vehicles
Then – 0
Now – 33
Bike Ambulances
Then – 0
Now – 50
Govt Medical Colleges
Then – 5
Now – 26