The Hindu Business Line : APHMIDC gets Rs 320-cr Hudco infrastructure loan

ANDHRA Pradesh Health, Medical Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation (APHMIDC) has obtained Rs 320-crore assistance from Hudco to strengthen medical and health infrastructure.

The company has decided to utilise Rs 200 crore of this amount to overhaul and upgrade the facilities at the teaching hospitals at the Government medical colleges in the State so that they meet all the norms stipulated by the Medical Council of India (MCI).

There are 10 State-run medical colleges. In many of these, a recent assessment by MCI found lapses and shortcomings.

Hence, the corporation has taken up the task of upgrading the facilities by building new wards, more spacious rooms, hostels and other required infrastructure, according to its Chairman, Mr Gidugu Rudraraju.

The Hudco funds are in the form of a term loan for 15 years, which the State Government has to repay.

The remaining Rs 120 crore has been earmarked for the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Medical Sciences (RGIMS) in Kadapa, Mr Rudraraju said in an interview.

On January 28, 2005, the foundation stone for the 750-bed hospital was laid by the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. The hospital will include a medical college and a nursing college. The construction activity has already begun and the inauguration is targeted for January 2006, Mr Rudraraju said.

Another major programme of the APHIMDC is strengthening and creating new infrastructure for primary health centres (PHCs). Nabard has agreed for provide Rs 80 crore on a State Government proposal for the purpose.

The State has about 1,700 PHCs. The strengthening of infrastructure has been going on for the last few years, with the help of the World Bank funds as well.Now the corporation wants to provide Rs 30 lakh each to build permanent structures for PHCs that are currently housed in rental accommodation. Further, a minimum of four beds, operation theatre, pharmacy and nursing support would be provided in each these centres.

Mr Rudraraju said that the corporation has been provided a budget of Rs 100 crore for the current fiscal, which is a 10 per cent hike over the previous fiscal.

Of this, Rs 80 crores would be spent on procurement and distribution of drugs, surgical and other necessary equipment to the PHCs and other hospitals in the State through e-procurement.

The Central drugstores in all the districts would be supplied with medicine. The Government wants to take medicare to the remote and poorest in the district.

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