Coverage of Rs. 5/meal scheme for attenders of patients in Hyderabad’s Govt hospitals shrinks gradually

While earlier, the initiative used to cover anywhere between 18,000 and 20,000 attenders per day, the number has gradually come down to 4,000 to 5,000 patient attenders per day.

Hyderabad: The coverage of the Rs 5 per meal scheme to attenders of patients at government hospitals in Hyderabad has gradually shrunk, in the last eight to nine months.

While earlier, the initiative used to cover anywhere between 18,000 and 20,000 attenders per day, the number has gradually come down to 4,000 to 5,000 patient attenders per day.

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The gradual drop in coverage of the Rs 5 per meal initiative aimed at providing an affordable and healthier alternative to attenders of patients, comes in the wake the State government’s lack of support and eventually curtailment of existing healthcare welfare initiatives including KCR Kits for pregnant women and access to special nutritional kits to pregnant women with anemia.

Senior health officials familiar with the issue said that the drop in the coverage of patient attenders who are availing this facility has been steady for the past nine months. While the gradual drop in beneficiaries has created difficulties for patients, who are admitted to the inpatient wards in government hospitals, care givers have also pointed out that fatigue from the menu, has also played its role.

“There are instances where attenders themselves have made their own private arrangements of getting food (non-vegetarian) from their relatives staying in Hyderabad. So, the names of the patient attenders, for whom the food has to be cooked, are not forwarded to the implementing agencies,” senior health officials said.

Every day, thousands of patients along with their attenders, a majority from districts and even from neighboring Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, visit tertiary government hospitals in Hyderabad, for treatment. While the dietary requirement of patients admitted in the inpatient recovery wards is taken care of by the hospital’s in-house canteen, the attenders of patients, usually a family member, end-up incurring out-of-pocket expenditure for healthy meals.

To address such difficulties, in April-May, 2022, the then BRS government had launched Rs 5 per meal initiative in all major tertiary hospitals in Hyderabad. The 18 government hospitals where the initiative was implemented included Osmania General Hospital (OGH), Gandhi Hospital, Niloufer, SD Eye Hospital, Petlaburj Maternity Hospital, MNJ Cancer Hospital, Erragadda Chest Hospital, Koti ENT Hospital, Nallakunta Fever Hospital, Koti Maternity Hospital, Gachibowli TIMS, King Koti District Hospital and Area Hospitals at five different locations including Malakpet, Golconda, Vanasthalipuram, Kondapur, Nampally.

Hospital superintendents in Hyderabad have maintained that earlier the State government had planned to rename and relaunch the initiative along with KCR Kits and nutritional kits. “Clarity on the issue is yet to arrive,” officials said.

• The coverage of Rs 5 per meal for attenders of patients has contracted

• At present, now covering only 4000 to 5000 attenders in Hyderabad

• Earlier government implemented in 18 hospitals with annual cost of Rs 38.66 Cr

• It was envisages to cover between 18,000 and 20,000 attenders

• Cost per meal was Rs 26.25 with BRS government chipping-in with Rs 21.25 and attenders Rs 5