Andhra Pradesh’s Minister for Health, Medical Education, and Family Welfare, Satya Kumar Yadav, recently highlighted the state government’s significant achievements in tackling heart conditions. He revealed that an impressive 1.41 lakh individuals suffering from various heart ailments have received free medical care, amounting to approximately ₹996 crore, all thanks to the NTR Vaidya Seva initiative.
Speaking ahead of World Heart Day on September 29, the Minister emphasized the current TDP-led NDA government’s dual focus: enhancing hospital infrastructure and intensifying public awareness campaigns on the critical importance of early diagnosis for cardiovascular diseases.
A key area of expansion for the government has been making heart treatment more accessible under the NTR Vaidya Seva scheme. Currently, specialized cardiac care is available in 161 private hospitals and 26 government facilities. Furthermore, crucial ‘golden hour’ treatment, vital for immediate care in critical heart situations, is now accessible in 238 hospitals across the state.
In a significant move to save lives, treatment for heart attack patients has been extended to all community health centers. Expensive blood-thinning injections, critical during a heart attack, are now being provided free of charge through NTR Vaidya Seva at these community-level facilities. This proactive measure has already been instrumental in saving over 3,000 lives.
Minister Yadav proudly stated that timely interventions by doctors and the availability of essential treatments at the mandal (block) level have directly saved 3,402 heart attack victims. He also noted that out of the total expenditure for free medical treatments under NTR Vaidya Seva, heart ailments account for the largest share.
Since June 2024, the government has facilitated treatments worth a staggering ₹5,562 crore for 19,61,257 people through the NTR Vaidya Seva. Of this, 1,41,315 individuals specifically received care for heart-related issues. Delving deeper into the cardiac treatments, 45,986 people (32.54%) underwent stent procedures, 9,880 (6.99%) received bypass surgeries, and 3,074 (2.18%) had valve replacements. These heart-related interventions alone accounted for approximately ₹966 crore, or 17% of the scheme’s total expenditure.
Following heart ailments, cancer stands as the second-highest category of conditions treated under NTR Vaidya Seva. In the last 15 months, 69,926 cancer patients received free medical care. Orthopedic treatments also saw significant uptake, benefiting 2,04,108 individuals.