Hyderabad: Health minister Damodar Rajanarsimha on Monday directed officials to strengthen Unani healthcare services across Telangana by filling vacant posts, improving infrastructure and ensuring uninterrupted availability of medicines at govt Unani hospitals and dispensaries.Reviewing the functioning of the Ayush department at the Secretariat, the minister took stock of medical services at Govt Nizamia Tibbi College and Govt Nizamia General Hospital, ongoing infrastructure projects and future expansion plans.
Describing the two institutions as among the state’s premier centres for Unani medicine, he said the govt was committed to their development and modernisation.Additionally, the minister instructed the Telangana Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation (TGMSIDC) to speed up construction of the new outpatient (OP) block and pharmacy building at Nizamia General Hospital and complete the works by January next year. He also directed the health officials to immediately prepare proposals for filling vacant posts of doctors, teaching faculty and other staff to ensure that patient care and academic activities are not affected.Rajanarsimha further asked officials to ensure that all Unani dispensaries and hospitals are adequately equipped with medicines, medical equipment and other essential infrastructure. He also called for expediting the proposal to establish a state-level Unani drug manufacturing unit to strengthen the supply of medicines in the govt healthcare system.Ayush director Srikanth Babu informed the minister that the shortage of doctors had eased after the govt filled 138 assistant professor posts in Ayush institutions last year. He also said that ₹52.5 crore has been sanctioned for renovating the heritage buildings of Govt Nizamia Tibbi College and Nizamia General Hospital and for constructing new facilities, with the works already underway.The minister also directed officials to resolve issues related to the govt Unani dispensary building at Moula Ali to ensure that medical services continue without disruption.
