Andhra Pradesh

Medical & Health Department heading for trifurcation

HYDERABAD: The Medical & Health Department is in for trifurcation as there are three Ministers handling the Health portfolio, often resulting in confusion between them over their respective jurisdiction.

According to the proposals, Sambani Chandrasekhar, Minister for Health & Family Welfare, will exclusively look after rural health and disease control. All primary health centres will function under him. Galla Aruna, another Minister, will take care of Medical Education & Health Insurance Scheme besides Rajiv Arogyasri. The Andhra Pradesh Vaidya Vidhana Parishad, together with its various hospitals at area and district levels, will be looked after by Vanama Venkateswara Rao, the Minister for Vaidya Vidhana Parishad & Hospital Services.

Confirming plans to trifurcate the department, P. K. Agarwal, Principal Secretary, Health and Medical, told reporters here on Friday that the Government had taken this decision for administrative convenience and improve healthcare delivery system without, however, disturbing due promotions to employees. If necessary, new posts of various cadres would be created. “But we will go ahead with the implementation only after consulting employees’ unions. We called them for discussions.”

Mr. Agarwal said the six Regional Directorates of Family Welfare would be scrapped and instead, the post of Director, Health, would be strengthened. Similarly, there would a separate director to look after service matters of employees in each department.

Confusion arose now as doctors were functioning under one directorate and para-medical staff like nurses under another. This would be removed under trifurcation.

Nevertheless, the three departments would be integrated at the Secretariat level headed by a principal secretary. Each department would have a separate secretary.

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