KCR Launches Multiple Ambulance Services In City

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao today launched a bunch of mobile health services.

The CM first launched a unique Bike Ambulance Service - 108 to provide emergency medical help in the narrow areas of the city. The bikes will prove handy in areas that traditional ambulances find hard to reach, and will be operated by trained and professional emergency medical technicians, in Hyderabad and its surrounding areas.

As part of the launch, the Chief Minister flagged off 50 such bike ambulances at a function organized by the Health, Medical and Family Welfare department at People's Plaza.

The CM also bolstered the 102 - Amma Vodi scheme by increasing the fleet of vehicles to 200 from the present 41 ambulances. According to informed sources, those vehicles will function across the state and will be manned by trained Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and ASHA workers who will be responsible for providing medical services to pregnant women as also child care duties.

The CM then launched a new project called "Rekkalu" (wings) which will have female Multipurpose Health Care Assistants (MHCAs) move on two-wheelers (Honda Activas) to offer access to multiple medical services to people living in areas with low concentrations of trained medical staff, and in other remote locations.

Speaking to the media later, the CM said that the implementation of KCR Kits, and the efforts to increase the efficiency and variety of services offered in government hospitals had increased the people's faith in the system, and the number of patients visiting government hospitals.

He also said that the government was obtaining good results with the decision to decentralize hospital administration, and said that hospitals' superintendents must be entrusted with the responsibility of administration and be given funds directly.

Stating that his government accorded high priority to public health, he announced that the 2018-19 budget would see more funds allocated to the medical and health sector.

He further said that while currently the government's focus was on irrigation projects to supply water to the farm sector, once that sector's challenges had been met, the government's priority would be the health and education sectors, with more funds allocated to these two.

Saying that there was no issue as pressing or important as giving good education and health services to the poor, he said that the officials must prepare action plans for the sectors, and estimates for ongoing and future needs, accordingly.