Hyderabad: In a major announcement for healthcare workers, Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narsimha said that 35% of Aarogyasri funds will now go as incentives to doctors and medical staff treating patients under the scheme.
The decision came during a board meeting at Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) on Friday. There, Dr. N. Beerappa, Director of NIMS, presented the institute’s 2024 progress report to the Minister. The NIMS team had proposed that a portion of the Aarogyasri funds received by the hospital be shared with the medical staff. The Minister approved the proposal, giving a green light to this new incentive plan.
Dr. Beerappa shared that the number of outpatients at NIMS rose by 12.6% in 2024 compared to last year. Patients treated under the Aarogyasri scheme also saw a sharp increase of 22.4%. The hospital helped 11,000 underprivileged patients this year using government-issued Letters of Credit (LOCs), a big jump from just 5,800 in 2023.
He also highlighted that NIMS successfully performed around 350 robotic surgeries last year. With the growing number of patients, Dr. Beerappa requested more staff to meet the rising demand.
Responding to the request, the Minister approved the recruitment of over 800 new positions, covering a range of roles including doctors and nurses. He also asked for updates on the ongoing construction of new hospital buildings. Officials briefed him on the progress, and he emphasized that the work must be completed quickly and with high standards.
Minister Damodar stressed the importance of NIMS, noting that people travel from distant places to receive treatment there. He praised the doctors and staff for earning public trust through their dedicated service.
He urged them to improve patient care even further. He directed hospital staff to quickly move patients from the emergency unit to appropriate wards, so more emergency cases can be attended to without delay. He also instructed that patients should be taken inside immediately upon arrival, without being kept waiting in ambulances.
The Minister ended with a strong message—any internal disputes that hurt the hospital’s reputation would be dealt with strictly. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening NIMS and delivering quality healthcare to the people.
