Andhra Pradesh Govt to upgrade Community health centre at cost of Rs 34.4 crore

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government, through a recent order, directed the upgradation of the Nandigama-based Community Health Centre (CHC) into an Area Hospital, thereby fulfilling the long pending demands of the people from the NTR district. 

The CHC would be upgraded to a 100-bedded Area hospital with speciality services, stated the Government Order (GO) number 46. Around Rs 34.48 crore was allotted by the state government for the construction of the hospital and around 52 additional posts were sanctioned by the government. 

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Talking to the media, Nandigama MLA M Jagan Mohan Rao said the government has sanctioned 52 additional posts duly converting /upgrading certain posts. He stated that during the previous cabinet meeting, it was decided that the community health centre would be upgraded to a hospital. Further, the total staff members were increased to 96 by sanctioning around 52 additional posts, he said. 

The MLA said that with the upgradation, the Nandigama area hospital would become the first area hospital in the NTR district. The posts of civil surgeons, deputy civil surgeons, nurses, pharmacy supervisors, radiographers and pharmacists would be promoted as per the upgradation of the civil hospital, reports Hans India. Staff would be appointed on a contractual basis or would be outsourced to serve the patients. 

A proposal related to the upgradation of the CHC into an Area hospital was already submitted by the Director of Health and Family Welfare. The Community Health Centres are the first referral units where patients come, serving a limited number of people. Whereas Area hospitals would provide specialized medical services. 

The CHC is not enough to meet the demands and needs of the patients. People residing in Nandigama, Chandarlapadu, Jaggaiahpet, Vatsavai, Penuganchiprolu, and Veerulapadu mandals have been getting affected due to the unavailability of a hospital and insufficient medical and health services in Nandigama.

For serious issues, people often have to go to the government or private hospitals located in Vijayawada to get treatment. And this costs a lot of money as patients have to travel and spend not less than 10 hours to get treatment or attend the lab tests, said MLA Rao. He pointed out that the upgradation of the CHC to an Area hospital and the provision of speciality services would largely benefit the people residing in the area. 

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