Identify vacancies of doctors, paramedics to fill them soon, AP CM asks Health dept officials

AMARAVATHI: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday directed the Medical and Health Department officials to identify the vacancies of nurses, doctors and para-medical staff from village clinics to teaching hospitals across the State so that the Medical Recruitment Board would take steps to fill them up.

At a review meeting on the Department held here on Monday, the Chief Minister told the officials to keep enough supplies of medicines and ensure basic facilities at all hospitals, besides submitting reports on the existing vacancies in future meetings.

Reviewing implementation of Family Doctor Programme, he told them to intimate the available dates of visiting family doctors to people in advance through ASHA workers and ANMs so that villagers would be able to meet them. He stressed that the programme should be supervised by efficient officers in the districts for its effective implementation.

He also directed them to ensure that village clinics play effective role in eliminating anemia and malnutrition and asked the officials to pay special attention towards providing nutritious food to anemic pregnant women.

Community Health Officers should be provided training in teaching medical hospitals in treating old age health problems, snake bite, ENT issues and extending oral health care and emergency health services like CPR using a specially made curriculum. They should also be trained in the use of medical equipment in PHCs, said the Chief Minister.

Besides conducting eye tests to the people once in a month or bimonthly, glasses also should be provided to the needy, he said, adding that they should submit report after devising an action plan on this.

Officials told him that 2,100 seats were being provided in medical colleges in addition to the presently available 2,185 seats. While classes would be commenced in medical colleges at Vizianagaram, Rajahmundry, Eluru, Machilipatnam and Nandyala in the present year with a provision of 750 seats, 350 seats would be made available in 2024-25 academic year. Another 1,000 seats would be made available in the next academic year at Pidiguralla, Bapatla, Madanapalle, Penukonda, Palakollu, Markapuram, Narsipatnam, Amalapuram and Parvathipuram Medical Colleges.

Officials also told him that the Covid virus was fully under control in the State and only 24 persons were being treated in the hospitals. The State was in the 23rd place in the country in the spread of new variants, they said, adding that RTPCR tests were being conducted wherever necessary to curb the spread of virus.

Tests were being conducted in Vijayawada and other cities to identify new variants while all facilities were being provided in hospitals to extend treatment to the necessary people, they said.

Medical and Health Minister V. Rajani, Principal Secretary MT Krishna Babu (Medical & Health), Finance Secretary KVV Satyanarayana, Health and Family Welfare Director J. Nivas, Aarogyasri CEO MN Harinder Prasad, APMSIDC Chairman Dr B. Chandrasekhara Reddy and VC & MD D. Muralidhara Reddy and Ch, APVVP Commissioner Dr S. Venkateswar, Medical Education Director Dr DSVL Narasimham, Public Health Director V. Rami Reddy, Nadu-Nedu Technical Director R. Manohara Reddy and other senior officials were present.