TS asks medical officials to spend one night a month at primary health centres

Hyderabad: The Telangana government on Sunday directed district medical and health officers (DM&HOs), programme officers, and medical officers to spend at least one night a month at primary health centres (PHCs) to improve the quality of health care in the state.

"This will also highlight limitations in the system that need to be addressed. I will also sleep at a PHC once a month to know the condition. It will send a positive signal to the local population and also go a long way in instilling discipline among local caregivers," said state health minister T. Harish Rao.

As part of the monthly (health calendar) review, minister Harish Rao held a teleconference on Sunday with DMHOs, programme officers, medical officers, and supervisory staff of all districts to discuss the performance and progress of PHCs.

Reducing cesarean surgeries

The minister said the state ranked third in the country in terms of providing quality health services. "We are working towards setting a goal, especially when it comes to reducing cesarean surgeries. About 60% of caesareans are performed in the state. It should be reduced. We have found that more than 70% of deliveries in 210 sub-centers in the state take place in private hospitals. With this, caesareans are becoming more and more common. We take this seriously. We have been focusing exclusively on them for the past three months," said Mr. Rao.

"The trend should change by next month. Unnecessary caesareans should be avoided in private hospitals. Anyone who behaves contrary to the regulations should file a complaint to the Medical Council," he said.

He asked officials to ensure that all types of essential medicines are available in PHCs.