Venkaiah stresses on private participation in health sector

Tirupati: Union Minister for Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu stressed on increasing private role in health and medical sector to extend the latest facilities to the needy more so to the poor.

Speaking after the inauguration of the `Dialysis unit’ in SVIMS hospital here on Wednesday, Venkaiah Naidu said as the government alone is not in a position to fulfill the growing medical and health needs there is every need for the private sector to play a larger role in the sector.

In this connection, Venkaiah also wanted the Centre to increase the budget for health sector.

The Union Minister utilised the occasion to hit hard at those including a section of media which opposed demonetisation and explained the benefits that the country had already derived and was going to derive due to the ban on big notes.

He dubbed those objecting demonetisation as vested interests keen on leaving black money untouched and fumed fire on some of the satellite channels spreading canard on the effects of demonetisation.

“People are whole-heartedly cooperating with the government on the issue and showing restraint despite facing some difficulties due to cash crunch but those with vested interests are trying to blow the issue out of proportion to malign the government unable to digest its success,’’ he averred.

Medical and Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas said that the SVIMS dialysis unit is the biggest in the country being set up in PPP mode with dialysis facility for 100 people at a time and 300 people in a day.

Disclosing that 83 hospitals came up in the State after the TDP government came to power, he thanked the Centre particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi for extending liberal support to the State government helping it to improve medical and health facilities rapidly in a big way.

The dialysis units in the State have gone up from 13 to 32. Recently, 19 units have come up in the areas where kidney patients are more including Darsi, Karkapuram in Prakasam and Palasa in Sriakakulam district.

The dialysis unit at SVIMS was set up under PPP mode involving Nephroplus and also the TTD .

A host of prominent persons including Forest and Environment Minister B Gopalakrishna Reddy, Chittoor MP N Sivaprasad, TTD Chairman Ch Krishnamurthy, EO D Sambasiva Rao, SVIMS Director-cum-Vice-Chancellor Dr T S Ravikumar and others were present.

The Minister, dignitaries and the big gathering were made to wait for 15 to 20 minutes as the power supply went off immediately after the arrival of the VIPs at the SV Medical College auditorium, leaving the venue in dark.

With no alternate arrangements made for power supply, the VIPs including Union Minister Venkaiah, Ministers Gopalakrishna Reddy and Kamineni Srinivas had to face inconvenience with the air-conditioners coming to a halt.