Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has asked the Medical and Health Department officials to launch a massive public awareness campaign on the services being extended under the YSR Aarogyasri scheme from September 15.
Charing a review meeting at his camp office at Tadepalli near here on August 24 (Thursday), Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy asked the officials to publish a booklet carrying the details of the services and treatment being extended to the people under the YSR Aarogyasri scheme.
The booklets should be distributed to all households so that every family can have a proper understanding of the scheme and how to avail of the benefits of the network hospitals. The services of volunteers, village and ward secretariat staff, village clinics, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) and Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers should be utilised during the awareness campaign, he said.
“Only dissemination of detailed information to the people will not suffice. The aim is to help people make efficient use of the Aarogyasri services. The number of ailments and procedures covered under the scheme has gone up to 3,255 from 1,000 during the TDP’s tenure. Awareness over this should be created not only through mobile apps but also through other sources such as call centres and booklets,” said the Chief Minister.
Awareness should also be created about the helpline numbers set up for addressing the grievances so that people can lodge complaints pertaining to corruption and other issues, if any. “The Aarogyasri network hospitals should conduct health camps in their jurisdiction with the coordination of village clinics and village and ward secretariat staff,” said Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
New medical colleges
Taking stock of the progress of works pertaining to new medical colleges, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy stressed the need for a proper policy for the efficient running of the medical colleges and government hospitals.
The policy should aim at solving the paucity of funds as proper management of medical colleges and speciality hospitals is also important, he said, adding that funds reimbursed by the government to the Aarogyasri network hospitals can be used for their maintenance.
Aarogya Asara
Similarly, government educational institutions should also make use of a part of the funds reimbursed under the fee reimbursement scheme for their maintenance. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) should be developed to enable the hospitals pay the post-treatment expenses to the patients under Aarogya Asara scheme on the day of their discharge, he added.
Medical and Health Minister V. Rajini, Chief Secretary K.S. Jawahar Reddy, Special Chief Secretary (Medical & Health) M.T. Krishna Babu, Health and Family Welfare Secretary Manjula and others were present in the review meeting.
