The Andhra Pradesh government is planning to bring in drastic changes in government hospitals to ensure delivery of safe, effective treatment services and transparency in hospital administration in the state.

The chief minister of Andhra Pradesh N. Chandrababu Naidu has taken serious note of the recent incident of a one year old child being bitten to death by rats in ICU (intensive care unit) at district government hospital in Guntur. Marred with corruption, the inefficient hospital administration and doctors at Guntur distinct general hospital is least bothered to check infestation of rodents and untidiness in the hospital.

Having learnt about the recent incident of an infant’s death, the chief minister expressed his displeasure about the functioning of the health department. The CM along with health minister conducted a review meeting and pulled up the senior officials at the drastic degeneration of administrative systems in the hospital governance.

Officials are directed to initiate action against the sanitation contractor who sub-leased the work after getting the tender by quoting at 50 per cent price and orders are passed to curtailed malpractices in contractual works. For ensuring hospital securing and sanitation government has directed officials to take only reputed agencies with good track record.

The government has also directed officials that the equipment and diagnostic services should be provided by private service providers and payment will be done only on the basis of service provided to them.

The administration of the teaching hospitals, which are eight in number, will be entrusted to professionals with Hospital Administration degree on contract basis immediately who will exclusively focus on the provision of support services and administration under the control of superintendent. The chief minister stressed that all the teaching hospitals shall apply and strive to get accreditation from National Board for Accreditation of Hospitals in a time bound manner to ensure quality services to people by maintaining standards. He favoured to promote telemedicine and appointment of reputed national and international professors as honorary professors to share their experiences and improve the teaching standards.

AP CM has insisted that a policy of incentive and disincentives should be formulated to encourage those who are doing good service in the hospitals. The inclusion of heart transplantation in the services listed under NTR Vaidya Seva is another decision announced by the chief minister. The state government is also planning to convert the district hospitals into teaching hospitals so as to ensure better service to the people and also to encourage medical education in the state.