Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy inaugurated the Rs. 700 crore YSR Sujaladhara Project at Makarapuram and the 200-bed Dr YSR Kidney Research and Super Speciality Hospital worth Rs 85 crore at Palasa in Srikakulam district.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated the boys’ hostel at Ambedkar University campus at Etcherla and laid foundation stone for the APIIC industrial cluster at Palasa.
Addressing a public meeting at the Railway Grounds here on Thursday after the inauguration, the Chief Minister said that by dedicating the Kidney Research Centre and Sujaladhara Project to people, he has fulfilled his padayatra promise given at a public meeting on December 30, 2018.
The Kidney Research and Super Speciality Hospital will be developed as a world class facility and nodal centre for the treatment of kidney-related ailments across the State, he said, adding that it would extend comprehensive and advanced medical care to kidney patients free of cost.
The hospital, having three blocks in four floors, is equipped with state-of-the art medical facilities including general medicine, nephrology, urology departments, dialysis wings, ICU wards, radio diagnosis, pathology, microbiology and biochemistry laboratories, post-surgery care, CT scan. Digital X-ray and holmium laser uro-dynamic machines.
The hospital, having 375 staff members including 42 specialist doctors, 60 nurses and 60 support and Para-medical staff, will be developed as a kidney transplantation centre also in the days to come and the first kidney transplantation is likely to take place in February.
He said that so far, 2, 32, 898 persons were tested at the screening centres in Kaviti, Kanchili, Palasa, Vajrapukotturu, Ichhapuram, Sompeta and Mandasa Mandals and 19532 persons above the age of 25 years were found to have creatinine levels above normal.
All of them are being treated with free supply of medicines and patients are also undergoing dialysis at 69 dialysis centres, he said, adding that more dialysis facilities would come up soon while semi auto analysers have been established at 18 PHCs in rural areas, 5 PHCs in urban areas and at six community health centres.
The Chief Minister said that three phases are over out of the intended 4-phase study undertaken by the ICMR and George Institute for Global Health to have a permanent solution to the recurrence of kidney ailments in Uddanam area which was neglected by the TDP rule.
Government is also entering into MoU with Harvard Medical School and North Carolina University in running the super specialty hospital, he said, adding that soon Markapuram in Prakasam district also will have a super speciality hospital and kidney research centre with special Nephrology and Urology departments.
He said that the Government spent Rs 700 crore on the Sujaladhara Project for bringing Vamsadhara surface water through pipelines from Hiramandalam reservoir to Uddanam.
It will supply safe drinking water to 6.78 lakh people of 198,000 families in 807 villages in seven Mandals of Palasa and Ichchapuram constituencies, he said, adding that the project would be extended to Pathapatnam constituency in second phase with a cost of Rs. 265crore and work will begin after Sankranti festival,
The project is presently delivering safe drinking water to 613 villages now and the rest will start receiving the water by the end of December, he said. Responding to the appeals of the local MLA and Minister Dr S Appala Raju, the Chief Minister sanctioned Rs 20 crore for local development works.
