Diagnostic hubs to be established soon in Telangana

Hyderabad: State government is in the process of establishing Telangana diagnostic service soon to implement the plan for ensuring early detection of various diseases in the State’s population, Health Minister Dr C Laxma Reddy informed the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.

“Telangana is no longer a State where a patient is given some tablets and asked to go home,” Laxma Reddy said about the services being provided by government hospitals in the State. Telangana is set to become the first State to set up such a service and test reports and health records of the people will be stored online, he said, adding that so far during the initial testing phase of the system, as many as 19,044 such diagnostic tests have been done.

Laxma Reddy was replying to queries from TRS members A Jeevan Reddy, G Kamalakar, Ajay

Kumar Puvvada and V Srinivas Goud during Question Hour in the Assembly. The Minister said 40 diagnostic hubs will be set up in the State and the first one has already begun functioning at Narayanaguda in the city. This hub receives samples from 117 Primary Health Centres and 13 Community Health Centres. He said the government has sent proposals to the Centre for setting up of 20 central labs that will function as hubs in the districts.

The diagnostic tests will include testing from pre-natal stage onwards that is aimed at ensuring mother and child health and various tests for adults. We had to set up 40 dialysis centres in the state so far. “This was because lack of awareness among people that simple tests and predict kidney disease early which can be treated easily,” he said.

He also said that from April 1, the government will launch a state-wide eye health check-up and called on all elected representatives to spread awareness of the government’s health screening programmes.