AP CM launches unique rural health care project

Hyderabad, Oct 17 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy today launched a rural health care project of the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology and Asian Health Care Foundation, 'first of its kind in the country' aimed at providing free gastroenterology services to the rural people across the State.

The Centre and the State Government would shortly come out with an Insurance scheme to provide critical illness coverage to the rural masses, as whatever assistance provided by the Government to the poor patients remained a 'mere drop in a ocean', Dr Reddy said, after launching the scheme from here through a video link to remote Dinnedavarapadu village in Kurnool District.

Complimenting the efforts of the Institute for launching the Rs 20-crore project to detect early gastrointestinal and liver disorders at a time when 70 per cent of the country's population living in rural areas, lacking advance health care facilities, he said, more and more private players should come forward to supplement the efforts of the Government to provide health care facilities to the rural masses.

''As our survey showed that 20 to 30 per cent of rural population have gastro-intestinal problems, the Institute decided to set up four mobile rural gastrointestinal hospitals which will be visiting 1097 rural mandal headquarters and 21,412 major villages in the next three years and extending diagnostic and speciality consultancy services to rural population free of cost'', Institute Director D Nageswar Reddy said.

The Institute planned to collaborate with the World Health Organisation as also International Labour Organisation to strengthen the ambitious project, he said, adding that the initative would be a model for mapping and treating gastrointestinal diseases in other parts of the country, as also other developing countries.

Each of the mobile hospitals costing Rs one crore each would be equipped with Video Endoscopy, Video Colonoscopy, High definition Ultrasound Scan, computerised laboratory services including hepatitis screening supported by senior gastroenterologists and paramedics. In addition, a satelite video link would be provided to each van to link to the institute here.

As an estimated 20 million people were found to harbour the dreaded Hepatitis 'C' virus, high risk population would be identified and vaccination provided free of cost, he said adding that H-Pylori infection, which could cause peptic ulcer and gastric cancer was present in 70 per cent of the population. With early detection, complications could be avoided, he added.

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