Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao Tuesday laid the foundation stone for the southern regional campus of Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), a public-private organization working to strengthen public health system.He announced Rs.10 crore as immediate assistance from the state government for building the campus.The chief minister also promised to consider the demand that the government provide 50 percent of the estimated Rs.60 crore required for the facility coming up at Rajendernagar on the city outskirts.
KCR, as Rao is popularly known, said the government would also consider the suggestion for university status to PHFI.He said the government was spending Rs.5,000 crore every year on public health in the state but the system was not at all satisfactory. He called for introspection and for identifying and plugging loopholes and hoped that PHFI would play a key role in this regard.
The chief minister stressed the need for management training to government doctors serving in urban and rural areas to streamline the public health system.Stating that those with traditional mindset always oppose change, he indirectly hit out at those criticizing his decision to shift government-run Chest Hospital at Erragadda here to Vikarabad in neighbouring Ranga Reddy district.Opposition parties are also opposing KCR's decision to shift state secretariat to Chest Hospital.N.R. Narayana Murthy, Chairman, Leadership Council, PHFI and founder, Infosys, said PHFI was working to strengthen education, training, research and policy development in public health.