Telangana to add 490 ventilators, cut emergency response to 10 minutes: Health Minister Raja Narasimha

Hyderabad: The Telangana government will add 490 new ventilators across government general and district hospitals to meet the rising demand for critical care.

Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha explained the initiative to the Legislative Assembly during the Question Hour on Monday as a major push to strengthen public healthcare.

Surge in patient load drives expansion

The Health Minister said government hospitals have witnessed a sharp rise in patient inflow due to improved medical services.

“The state currently has 1,790 ventilator beds, but the growing need for ICU care requires a substantial expansion,” he told the House, underlining the government’s focus on strengthening tertiary care.

Special focus on NIMS

As part of the upgrade, NIMS Hyderabad will be allotted 125 exclusive ventilators. To cope with the heavy patient load, the institute will also recruit 850 additional personnel, including medical and support staff.

Bringing dialysis services within 25 km of any place

To improve access to specialised treatment, the government plans to ensure that dialysis facilities are available within a 25-kilometre radius or a 20-minute travel time from any location in the state, easing the burden on patients requiring regular care.

Emergency response to get faster

The Minister noted that emergency response times have already reduced from 18 minutes to 13 minutes following the introduction of 213 ambulances last year. With 79 more ambulances set to be added this year, response times are expected to further drop to an all-time low of 10 minutes.

Strengthening public healthcare

The initiatives, the Minister said, reflect the government’s commitment to upgrading infrastructure, improving manpower strength and ensuring timely emergency and critical care services across Telangana.