Treating 80% diseases at village level is the aim: Krishna Babu

Vijayawada: Health, medical and family welfare principal secretary M T Krishna Babu said the aim of the government is to provide treatment to 80 per cent diseases at village level. The government was taking special care towards the patients who suffer from chronic disease, he added.

Inaugurating a two-day training programme of Project ECHO India-National Health Mission (AP) here on Tuesday, Krishna Babu said the government had recruited over 48,000 medical personnel, doctors and staff. The training is aimed capacity building of healthcare professionals and strengthening the state health system. Health and family welfare commissioner J Nivas also attended. Asha workers, nurses and doctors will be imparted training in healthcare as part of the programme.

The principal secretary informed that this year they were going to launch five medical colleges in the state. The government had set up 13 trauma care centres along the National Highways in the state. Referring to the ECHO India training programme, Krishna Babu said that the state government has been steadfast in its commitment to improve healthcare services with a focus on comprehensive immunisation programmes, maternal and child health initiatives, disease prevention and control measures, and strengthening of primary healthcare delivery at the village level, etc.

''The ECHO model is a proven and innovative approach that promotes collaborative learning and enables the medical sector to address complex health challenges with more proficiency. This training programme would prove to be a valuable investment in efforts to strengthen the healthcare system in Andhra Pradesh. There are still challenges that we must overcome. Reproductive and child health and rising cases of non-communicable diseases are areas of concern for us. The training programme by ECHO India aligns perfectly with our vision of building a skilled and competent healthcare workforce that can effectively implement these health programs and improve health outcomes for our communities," he said.

He called for identification of strategies that can help strengthening healthcare system through capacity building and deliver quality healthcare services to our communities along with ECHO India.

He advised all participants to take full advantage of this opportunity and develop concrete capacity building plans that address these key areas of healthcare.

Krishna Babu said the state government had requested for more 20 lakh doses of coronavirus vaccine in view of rising cases across the country.

Health and family welfare commissioner Nivas said that the skills and knowledge acquired from this training will not only benefit us individually but also contribute to the larger goal of improving the health and well-being of the people we serve. ECHO India has already established one tele mentoring hub in Andhra Pradesh in partnership with NATCO Cancer Centre. This hub is running mentorship programmes to build the capacities of healthcare workers in primary and tertiary care centres with a focus on cancer prevention and palliative care, he added. Dr Sandeep Bhalla, associate vice-president at ECHO India, health department director Vemireddy Ramireddy, NHM SPM Dr Venkat Kiran, CAO Ganapathi Rao and others participated.