KCR welfare initiative lets hand of healing touch

Hyderabad: In yet another welfare initiative aimed at alleviating the sufferings of people, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Friday announced a monthly pension of Rs 1,000 to patients afflicted with lymphatic filariasis.

The Chief Minister said 47,000 people who were suffering from filariasis will be given pension from the coming financial year and allocation will be made in the Budget for the purpose. Believing in the dictum that prevention is better than cure, Chandrashekhar Rao also decided to extend medical diagnostic tests to the people at government cost.

With the resolve to take Telangana to the top in public healthcare in the country, the Chief Minister also announced increase in the salaries of Second Auxillary Nurse Mid-wives. The decision follows an earlier move to increase the salaries of ASHA workers in the State. The Chief Minister instructed the officials concerned to prepare an action plan for optimum utilization of the services of medical employees and staff at the village level.