Andhra Pradesh   

Aarogya Sri: Collector expresses dissatisfaction

Staff Reporter

‘Achievement in two-and-half months has been meagre’

ANANTAPUR: In all 630 persons from families below poverty line, who have been suffering from chronic diseases that required surgical intervention for cure, have been benefited under the ‘Aarogya Sri’ Community Health Insurance Scheme. They have undergone surgeries valued at Rs. 5 crores.

However, Collector N. Sridhar has expressed dissatisfaction over the implementation of the scheme stating that the achievement in over two-and-half months time was meagre considering that 8.5 lakh families are eligible as below poverty line families.

The inability of the Health Department to enrol more cases would reflect on its functioning, he remarked. It was difficult to understand why the department machinery like multi-purpose health assistants, auxiliary nursing midwives, doctors in the public health centres was unable create awareness about the scheme among the poor, he said in a recent review meeting.

He felt that at least two to three cases could be referred to the initial health check up to the General Hospital and two private hospitals here from each PHC.

No poor suffering from chronic health problem would refuse to utilise the scheme as the surgical intervention would benefit them to the tune of Rs. 1.5 to 2 lakh.

The Collector directed District Medical and Health Officer G. Thimma Reddy to fix the target PHC-wise to identify the beneficiaries for the scheme.

The DM&HO informed the Collector that the private hospitals involved in the scheme were not even informing the department about the health camps being conducted by them for selection of beneficiaries.

The Collector told the private hospitals involved in the scheme to coordinate with the Health Department and inform them about the health camps so that proper publicity could be given about them.

Meanwhile, a key official of the Health Department said every employee in the department had targets of regular schemes and they were not in a position to spare time for Aarogya Sri.

It was for the insurance agency and 91 Arogya Mitras to create awareness about the scheme and identify more and more beneficiaries, he said requesting not to be quoted.

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