Telangana Health Department sanctions Primary health centre in Shamirpet

The state health department on Thursday sanctioned construction of a new primary health centre (PHC) in Shamirpet in Medchal district. The PHC will be set up at an estimated cost of Rs.2.5 crore.

The latest PHC would be the 25th health facility to come up in the state over the last three years, while the 750 existing PHCs would ge given facelifts, which include providing good ambience, budget for medicines, equipment and manpower, at a cost of Rs.4-5 lakh each.

Though the main aim behind the planned expansion and upgradation was strengthening the existing infrastructure to increase footfall at state PHCs, community health centres (CHCs) and area hospitals (10 of them being



upgraded with increased bed strength), the move would distribute the patient load across all districts. Currently, Gandhi Hospital and Osmania General Hospital (OGH) take the major patient load from rural areas.

Meanwhile, the state health department has also increased medicine budget allocations of the existing 750 PHCs and 250 CHCs from Rs.30,000 to Rs.1lakh.

“Patients, who need diagnostic services have to go to higher centres, which increases service time. We want simple cases to be treated at the district level, and only complex ones to be referred to higher centres,” a senior official from the health department said.