Telangana Health and Finance Minister T. Harish Rao on Saturday said the state government will spend Rs 10,000 crore to improve public health services.

He said the aim of the state government was to provide the best healthcare services to the people at par with the corporate sector.

The Minister inaugurated a 100-bed intensive care unit at government-run Niloufer Hospital for children in Hyderabad.

This was the first programme attended by Harish Rao after taking over the medical and health portfolio three days ago.

Harish Rao said another 800 beds would be provided at Niloufer Hospital at a cost of Rs 33 crore. He said doctors and other staff for this would be recruited soon.

He lauded Hyderabad Software Entrepreneurs’ Association (HYSEA) for providing Rs 18 crore under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to improve infrastructure in government-run hospitals in the state.

The Minister said that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao plans construction of four medical towers in four directions in Hyderabad to provide the best healthcare facilities to the poor.

Harish Rao said the government was also working with the aim to have a medical college in every district. He said when Telangana state was formed there were only five government medical colleges and the number has now gone up to 21. Nine more government hospitals will be functional from next year.

In June, the government had decided to focus on the public health sector. A cabinet sub-committee headed by Harish Rao was asked to prepare a report. The panel will review the situation in government hospitals, staff and other infrastructure facilities and make recommendations.

It was announced that the sub-committee with ministers Jagadeeshwar Reddy, Srinivas Yadav, VemulaPrashanth Reddy, Srinivas Goud, Sabita Indra Reddy, and Satyavathi Rathod as members will tour Kerala, Tamil Nadu where better medical treatment is given as well as Sri Lanka, to study the situation and submit a report.