Praja Sankalpa Yatra Diary, Day 15: Why Is Arogya Sri Not Extended To Hyderabad?

Narsapuram Crossroads, Kurnool District:

Today I walked through hilly terrain which did not have basic amenities such as roadways, communication system and even safe water to drink. What would be the fate of someone who suddenly falls seriously ill or meets with an accident in these areas? My heart sank at the very thought of the plight of those who lived here.

Along the way, Class IV employees working in social welfare hostels met me to narrate their problems. Chandrababu Naidu had promised them during the 2014 elections that he would raise their salaries once he came to power. He came to power and did hike the salaries. But, soon, he got rid of many employees on the pretext of merging the hostels. "We were not shown any alternative employment," they said. He lured them with the promise of a pay hike and ended up taking away the jobs of tens of hundreds of employees. I was overcome with sorrow when I thought of the plight of these poor employees.

Around 20 people from a very deprived background, hailing from villages like Muddavaram, Venkatagiri and Pendekallu met me along the way. They were suffering from serious and life-threatening ailments of kidneys, heart and spinal cord. They are unable to access quality medicare as Arogya Sri is turning out to be a proverbial mirage for them. I was deeply moved by their state. How can a poor person, who is unable to make both ends meet, afford cost-intensive treatment running into several lakhs of rupees?

Obulamma of Kolumulapalle is one such person. Her husband passed away some time ago. She has two daughters and a son. Her only son is bed-ridden with a debilitating disease of the muscular and nervous system. Recently, he had a fracture of his spinal cord and is completely immobilized. Though Arogya Sri is available, the hospitals in Andhra Pradesh cannot treat him as they do not have the necessary infrastructure. Obulamma cannot get her son treated in hospitals like NIMS in Hyderabad as AP's Arogya Sri does not extend to Hyderabad. Obulamma finds herself in dire straits.

Kiran Kumar of Venkatagiri works as a security guard. His only son suffers from a debilitating kidney ailment and he needs to spend at least Rs 4000 every month for his treatment. He cannot afford to meet this expenditure because of his paltry income. Meanwhile, debts continue to pile up. Narrating his plight, Kiran broke into tears. "No one is willing to lend money to me," he said, sobbing uncontrollably. It was a benumbing experience for me. The AP Government has not included life-threatening diseases such as Dengue and Thalassemia in Arogya Sri. As a result, thousands of families are having a harrowing time seeing their dear ones dying a slow death. It appears that the State Government, which is hell-bent on watering down Arogya Sri, is utterly insensitive to the plight of the common man.

Mr Chandrababu Naidu! Andhra Pradesh lacks quality medical infrastructure. Hyderabad, on the other hand has excellent health-care facilities. But, you had stopped extending Arogya Sri service to the hospitals in Telangana. Aren't you responsible for the deaths of patients caused by this denial of access to quality medicare? Why are you not extending Arogya Sri scheme to hospitals in Hyderabad? Is a poor person's life not worth your while?

Is it right to dupe contract employees by promising them a pay hike and then robbing them of their jobs? Is it justified to leave them in the lurch? Please tell us if you have regularized a single contract employee? Why did you give this assurance when you knew you cannot implement it? What else did you do except robbing people of their jobs?