Principal Secretary, Health, Medical and Family Welfare Department, M.T. Krishna Babu, has said that the 'Family Doctor' programme will be implemented on a full-scale basis from Sankranti next year.
“The programme will be launched on a pilot basis in the first week of September,” Mr. Krishna Babu told the media at the department’s headquarters at Mangalagiri on Thursday. Health Commissioner J. Nivas was present.
Mr. Krishna Babu said 1,032 YSR Village Clinics would be established across the State. They would be linked to all the village secretariats, he added.
He said recruitment of staff had been taken on a large scale. So far, 8,500 mid-level health providers (MHLPs) were appointed. Notification for appointment of 1,500 more was released, he added.
Mr. Krishna Babu said there would be two Primary Health Centres in each mandal. One secretariat in every village would have a YSR Health Clinic with an ANM, an MLHP and an ASHA worker for every thousand people. The health clinics would refer cases to the PHCs and higher healthcare facilities based on the severity of the illness of the patient, he said.
Over 80% of the health issues could be treated at the village level with the implementation of the Family Doctor programme, he said.
Mr. Krishna Babu said all the necessary infrastructure would be arranged for the programme by the end of November.
