Telangana: Government hospitals now at par with private ones

Hyderabad: Government hospitals in Telangana have been improving their services, with many of them providing expensive high-end surgeries for poor patients under government-sponsored schemes, thereby narrowing the gap between private hospitals and public health centres.  

Over the past two years, patients in need have been able to access the services of government hospitals, including high-end surgeries through the Aarogyasri health insurance and Ayushman Bharat scheme. 

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Earlier, except for a few major government hospitals like Gandhi Hospital and OGH, it was mostly the private hospitals that could afford to perform high-end super-specialty surgeries. The government hospitals usually limited themselves to basic primary healthcare, mother and child healthcare, surveillance and treatment of seasonal diseases and implementing state-run healthcare initiatives. 

The improvement of the public healthcare system has benefitted a number of patients, who often have to incur heavy expenses to get treated in private hospitals. The government has been taking initiatives to provide support to senior faculty, upgrading medical infrastructure, introducing performance-based incentive schemes to healthcare workers and strengthening primary healthcare services through Basthi Dawakhanas and Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs). 

The teaching hospitals in Hyderabad, including the ones in the district are reported to be performing surgeries in orthopedics, cardiology, nephrology, liver, organ transplants and gastroenterology. Cardiac procedures have also been made available at government centres due to the state government's measure to implement cath labs in all teaching hospitals. 

The major surgeries in government hospitals are covered under the Aarogyasri and Ayushman Bharat insurance scheme of the government, reports Telangana Today. There has been a rise in the number of patients covered under Aarogyasri, which also provides incentives to government doctors and other healthcare workers including nurses and paramedical staff. 

Meanwhile, the outpatient department at tertiary teaching hospitals is reporting less number of patients due to the modern Basthi Dawakhanas providing primary healthcare facilities in urban centres and Palle Dawakahanas in rural areas. Therefore, the senior faculty and surgeons at teaching hospitals have adequate time for planning and conducting more complex ailments including surgeries. 

However, the gap in the form of infrastructure, patient amenities and trained healthcare staff continues to plague the government healthcare services. 

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