Hyderabad: City all set to become a major health hub, asserts Harish

Hyderabad: Health Minister T Harish Rao hailed the laying of the foundation stone for the 2,000-bed ‘Dashabdi Block’ at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) as a historic occasion that will be etched in the annals of Hyderabad’s history. He declared that the city is poised to become a Health hub in the near future.

During the ceremony, he emphasised that while several governments have come and gone, only Osmania and Gandhi hospitals have remained prominent in the city for the past 60 years. However, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has undertaken ambitious initiatives to address this disparity. He has initiated plans for 10,000 beds, including super specialty hospitals in LB Nagar, Gachibowli, Alwal, Sanathnagar, and a Health City in Warangal.

Minister Harish Rao lauded the Chief Minister’s foresight in proactively addressing healthcare challenges, particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. The government established Basti Dawakhanas to provide healthcare services in slum areas, set up 102 dialysis centres equipped with single-use filters, and extended support to dialysis patients through pensions and bus passes. Moreover, the government’s commitment to establishing one medical college per district across all 33 districts will provide over 8,000 medical seats for students in Telangana.

Adding further, he stressed the significance of the Nutrition Kits initiative, aimed at addressing iron deficiency among pregnant women. He refuted opposition claims and highlighted the positive impact of these kits, which will be provided twice during pregnancy. Minister Harish Rao also underscored the accomplishments of the Kanti Velugu programme, which he described as the largest eye care programme in the world. In fact, Chief Ministers from Delhi and Punjab have expressed interest in implementing similar programmes in their States.

Beerappa, the Director of NIMS, characterised the event as a momentous occasion, as it signifies the expansion of the hospital into the largest facility in the country, with a total of 4,000 beds. He praised K Chandrashekar Rao’s unwavering support for NIMS, recalling his own recovery after a hunger strike during the Telangana agitation. He further highlighted the hospital’s commendable efforts in providing free organ transplants to economically disadvantaged individuals. During the formation of Telangana NIMS had 900 beds which have now increased to 1500 beds. Even the organ transplants are done free for the poor, he said adding over 120 heart surgeries done every month in the hospital.