The State government would spend ₹10,000 crore on improving the health infrastructure in the State, including enhancing bed strength, setting up oxygen plants besides recruiting doctors.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao told the Assembly on Friday that the State government’s policy was to have a medical college set up in every district headquarters so that the attached hospitals could deliver better healthcare services. About a dozen medical colleges were sanctioned recently in the new district headquarters and more would be sanctioned in the coming days, if necessary.

On the lines of Basti Dawakhanas set up in the City, the government had already set up 100 Palle Dawakhanas on experimental basis and they would be spread across the State once the doctors’ recruitment was completed. Earlier, M. Bhatti Vikramarka urged the government to to establish Palle Dawakhanas in every village to improve healthcare services in the State.

On another suggestion of Mr. Vikramarka, the Chief Minister said shelters for patients’ attendants would be made mandatory in all new major hospitals to be constructed by the government. He also assured to increase the number of dialysis centres in government hospitals from the present 41. He stated that bus passes were also issued to about 10,000 kidney patients to visit the dialysis centres on regular basis.

Responding to Mr. Vikramarka’s observation on the power and water supply in the State, the Chief Minister said the only difference was “you did not give required water and power supply and we are giving as we have better management skills”. On the presence of middlemen in getting Kalyana Lakshmi benefit raised by BJP’s T. Raja Singh, the Chief Minister said it was the legislators’ responsibility to bring such incidents, if any, to the government notice.