Hyderabad: Medical tourism will be categorised as a priority sector in the ‘TelanganaRising 2047’ vision document, which is currently being drafted by the state government. This will be in sync with the status achieved by Hyderabad as a centre of excellence in medical care, which is evidenced by the fact that patients from other countries are coming to the city for their treatment.

This announcement was made by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy after inaugurating the new AIG Hospitals at Banjara Hills here on Wednesday. The TelanganaRising vision document will endeavour to develop Hyderabad as the country’s hub of medical and health tourism, he said, exuding confidence.

Stating that the government is moving forward with plans to provide free medical care and quality education to the poor, Reventh Reddy pointed out that they have already earmarked Rs 11,500 crore towards development of the medical sector and Rs 21,500 crore for education in the current financial year. Free medical treatment is already being provided to the poor for up to Rs 10 lakh treatment. Noted doctor Nori Dattatreya has been appointed as a cancer care consultant to the government, he said.

Listing out initiatives taken by the government to strengthen medical care, the Chief Minister said that unlike the family doctor system of the earlier days, specialist doctor services are now in high demand.

Government hospitals are coming up in different parts of the state, while works for the new Osmania general hospital (OGH) are progressing at a brisk pace, he said. Once completed, OGH will have an additional 7000 beds, he added.

He reiterated that government hospitals should strive to compete with corporate hospitals, including in providing quality services. Doctors should serve in government hospitals for at least one month as a moral social responsibility, he said.

Revanth Reddy said that there was a need to take more precautions to prevent health problems. To facilitate this, the government is planning to create a health profile card for women in self-help groups.

Exhorting AIG Hospitals Chairman Dr. Nageshwar Reddy to join as a partner of the government in their quest to bolster medical and health sectors, Revanth Reddy said that it was a matter of pride that patients from 66 countries come to AIG Hospitals for treatment. Dr Nageshwar Reddy has brought laurels to Hyderabad and Telangana and deserves the Bharat Ratna honour, the Chief Minister said and added that he would pursue the issue with the Centre. As Hyderabad has emerged as the global hub of IT and emerging healthcare services providers, they were in talks with the Union Government to increase direct flight connectivity between Middle East nations and Hyderabad, the Chief Minister said.