Telangana Health Minister Etala Rajender today said that the state government would set up basthi hospitals in all the big cities of the state to enhance the accessibility of subsidised healthcare to the economically disadvantaged soon.
Responding to the queries of some MLAs during the Question Hour of today's Budget session, the minister said, "Our government is committed to providing affordable healthcare services to all sections of society. The state capital, Hyderabad, alone has 225 basthi hospitals within its limits. Further, we provide Rs 20,000 per month to each unit for the purchase of medicines. To strengthen public health services even more, we will soon set up basthi hospitals in all the big cities of Telangana."
"Seeing the Delhi-based mohalla clinics, we were also inspired to establish basthi hospitals in our own state. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has already approved the setting up of 350 such hospitals across the state. Each unit will have a doctor, a staff nurse and a trained attendant. The hospitals will run from 9:00 am in the morning to 4:00 pm in the evening," Rajender added.
Telangana has seen a flurry of health sector-related development since the beginning of the year. In January,
eight free diagnostics centres were set up in the state capital for the benefit of the poor.