Telangana to establish four cancer and 80 trauma centers

The Health Minister, C. Damodar Rajanarasimha, announced plans in the Assembly on Saturday to establish four regional cancer treatment centers in the state. Each center will cost between ₹30 crore and ₹40 crore and will include bunker facilities to make cancer treatment accessible to those in rural areas. The government also plans to set up 74 to 80 trauma care centers across the state, with each center costing between ₹4.5 crore and ₹6 crore. To improve emergency response, ambulances will be stationed at identified high-accident areas, known as black spots. Since December 2023, the state has added 136 new ambulances and needs 77 more. The average response time for medical emergencies has improved. In urban areas, it now takes about 13 minutes, down from 18 minutes. In rural areas, the time has reduced to 14 minutes from 20 minutes. The government aims to lower this time further to ensure that injured persons reach trauma centers quickly. Additionally, plans are being made to install MRI and CT scanning facilities every 35-40 kilometers to enhance medical care for the injured. In related news, Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao stated that the farm loan waiver policy allows for debt forgiveness of up to ₹2 lakh per farmer’s family. The government has written off about ₹20,617 crore for roughly 25 lakh farmer families. This announcement led to a walkout by the BRS party in protest.