Telangana to get 16 more hi-tech ICUs

The Centre approved the setting up of 16 more specialised hi-tech intensive care units (ICU) in Telangana, bolstering the State Health Department’s efforts of strengthening intensive healthcare.

The ICUs, which will provide round-the-clock medical services, will be developed under the National Health Mission (NHM) in collaboration with State government at an approximate cost of Rs 20 crore. 

Authorities said such ICUs are toothless if they are not able to provide speciality care. For this, speciality duty doctors from fields of cardiology, pulmonology, general medicine, orthopaedics and anaesthesia will be recruited.

For the past 12 months, officials from the Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare and NHM were working to set up nearly 20 specialised ICUs at a cost of over Rs 30 crore. Speciality ICUs are already in place at Petlaburj Maternity Hospital and Niloufer Hospital. Efforts are on to have similar facilities at Sultan Bazaar Maternity Hospital, which does not



have an ICU.

“Initially, the Centre committed to set up 20 ICUs and this project is underway. Hopefully it should be completed in the coming few months. But we need more such facilities and managed to convince the Centre to support and set up 16 more ICUs in various parts of the State,” Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Vakati Karuna said.

To bring the monthly pay of the specialised duty doctors on par with that offered by private hospitals, health authorities will offer a salary starting from Rs 80,000. The intensive care facilities will also have technical staff, including six staff nurses, lab technicians, eight ancillary staff and security guards, with salaries similar to what is offered by the private sector.

Typically, such ICUs come equipped with ventilators, ultrasound machines with ECHO facility, multi-channel monitors to check various health parameters, portable X-rays, defibrillators, operation tables and other life-saving equipment.