Telangana's Health Sector Stagnates with No Major Reforms in Congress's One-Year Rule

Hyderabad: As the Congress government in Telangana prepares to complete one year in office, the state's health sector continues to face a crisis of stagnation. The government's lackluster initiatives and policies have left healthcare services struggling, particularly for the poor.

Over the past year, the state-run hospitals have been running on autopilot, without any fresh direction or new ideas aimed at improving healthcare services. Instead of bolstering existing public healthcare programs, the Congress government has appeared to be more focused on watering them down.

One significant example is the lack of support for major health programs launched by the previous BRS government. Meanwhile, the State Health department failed to launch a single patients-centric scheme that could become its flagship program.

The state government's handling of faculty transfers in hospitals was also marred with controversies. The hasty and unplanned transfers created unrest among senior officials and left them disillusioned. Highly specialized doctors were transferred to secondary healthcare facilities with limited infrastructure, compromising the quality of care.

The Telangana State Health department faced criticism for its response to vector-borne diseases like dengue and Chikungunya during the monsoons. The government's inability to frame and implement an effective public health strategy led to a decline in the quality of healthcare services.

Moreover, the state government's efforts to improve Mother and Child Health services were undermined by rolling back financial support for flagship initiatives like the KCR Kits scheme and Aarogya Mahila scheme. While establishing 8 new medical colleges was seen as a positive move, the delay in shoring up infrastructure and faculty was a major disappointment.

Despite getting approval for 8 new medical colleges, the government managed to secure only 50 MBBS seats for each college, below the initially promised 100. The state's health sector is now facing intense scrutiny from healthcare experts, civic groups, and patients' lobby.

As the Congress government completes its one-year term in office, it remains to be seen whether they can revamp their policies and initiate real reforms to improve healthcare services for the people of Telangana.