Admitting that a lot needed to be done for improving the rural healthcare in Andhra Pradesh, the Chief Minister, Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, has said his Government has initiated several measures to change the structure of medical sector in villages.

“Although we have a long way to go on what has to be done in improving rural healthcare, we have taken up several programmes and are trying to change the structure of rural medical sector by providing best health services in Andhra Pradesh,” he said after inaugurating the first Clinical Infectious Diseases Conference-2011 here today.

Referring to the criticism that the Rajiv Arogyasri Health Insurance Scheme (wherein free surgeries are performed for poor), was benefiting corporate hospitals, he said they were trying to increase Government hospitals’ share to 40 per cent under the state-sponsored plan.

Around 11 lakh surgeries had been performed under Arogyasri and the Government has so far spent Rs 3,000 crore, the CM said. “We are trying to ensure 40 per cent of surgeries under Arogyasri are carried out in government hospitals.”

Rural and tribal areas in particular continue to face neglect in terms of health services and medical infrastructure resulting in more number of deaths.

Efforts are on to strengthen primary health centres and fill up the posts of Government doctors, he said. “We have been giving a lot of incentives to the doctors to enable them to serve in rural areas.”

Mr Reddy said the Government was trying to sort out minor problems pertaining to the toll-free ‘108’ emergency ambulance services and ‘104’ mobile health services in the state.

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