Provide better healthcare services to people: Collector to officials

Kurnool: District Collector P Ranjith Basha has directed medical officials to provide better healthcare services through hospitals at thegrassroots level.

On Tuesday, the Collector held a review meeting at the Mini Conference Hall at the Collectorate. The meeting, conducted via Zoom, included district health officials and medical officers to discuss healthcare initiatives.

During the meeting, the Collector emphasised that the government is committed to delivering quality healthcare services to the people. He noted that public feedback on the medical services at Kurnool Government General Hospital has been positive. He urged health officials to ensure that similar quality services were provided across all hospitals in the district to gain public trust and appreciation.

The Collector instructed officials to ensure 100% registration of pregnant women on the government portal to provide them with proper healthcare and prevent maternal deaths. Noting that the registration rate in Chippagiri mandal was only 89%, he questioned the medical officer concerned about the lag. The officer explained that some village secretariats were falling behind but assured that registrations would be completed soon.

The Collector stressed that registering pregnant women is a government priority and warned against negligence. He ordered show-cause notices to be issued to medical officers in mandals where the registration rate was below 85%. Additionally, he directed the District Medical & Health Officer (DMHO) to conduct a daily one-hour review to identify gaps and track progress in healthcare programme implementation.

The Collector emphasised the importance of registering newborns and providing them with medical care. He instructed officials to move beyond indicative targets and ensure that all newborns from institutional deliveries were registered. He questioned medical officers about the low registration rates and whether it was due to a lack of institutional deliveries. He urged officials to analyse the reasons and work towards improving registration figures.

Regarding the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) survey, the Collector directed officials to ensure complete coverage of the district’s population. He instructed them to identify people requiring medical attention and provide necessary treatments. The survey revealed that Kosigi and Tuggali mandals were lagging, and he stressed the need for improvement.

If any areas were facing a shortage of Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), the Collector suggested deputation and rationalisation to address the issue.

The Collector instructed Mid-Level Health Providers (MLHPs) to test water samples weekly. If any samples tested positive for bacteria, the results should be sent to the District Public Health Officer (DPO) for chlorination. Additionally, he directed officials to take necessary steps for generating Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) ID cards for eligible beneficiaries.

The Collector reviewed the medical services at Kurnool Government General Hospital with the hospital superintendent. He instructed that the Hospital Development Committee meeting be convened to discuss further improvements.

To address staffing shortages, he directed the Kurnool Medical College Principal to expedite medical staff recruitment transparently and in adherence to government regulations.