Health Minister Eatala Rajender directed the authorities of the District Headquarters Hospital here to immediately arrange 200 additional beds at the 400-bed hospital to handle the heavy influx of patients suffering from seasonal diseases, including viral fevers.
The Minister issued the orders at a review meeting chaired by him at the Collectorate here late on Tuesday afternoon. Earlier, he along with Khammam MP Nama Nageswara Rao and Collector R. V. Karnan visited the district headquarters hospital.
Addressing the review meeting, the Minister said the district headquarters hospital in Khammam is a major healthcare facility that attracts patients from not only the erstwhile undivided Khammam district but also the neighbouring districts.
Despite the pre-monsoon sanitation drive across the State, there has been a sudden surge in the number of viral fever patients visiting the State-run hospitals in the past couple of days due to recent spell of rains, he said.
Apparently referring to the instances of two patients sharing one bed in the district headquarters hospital here, he asked the authorities to arrange 200 additional beds in a separate ward in the hospital immediately to handle heavy flow of inpatients and ensure prompt treatment to all the needy.
Stern action should be taken against the errant private hospitals, which were found to be creating a dengue scare and exploiting patients, he said, adding that the entire staff of the Health Department should render relentless services to the patients with renewed commitment.
He wanted the allied government departments to scale up collaborative efforts to raise awareness on sanitation and protective health measures to check mosquito menace and prevent the spread of seasonal ailments.
The Collector apprised the Minister of the scaled up sanitation and anti-mosquito drive across the district to control seasonal diseases. He also gave the details of the ongoing rapid fever survey and conduct of medical camps across the district.