Telangana Diagnostic Centre a boon for rural people in Karimnagar

Rural people, who used to face hardship visiting private diagnostic centres, are now relieved as they can avail the services for free in primary and urban health centres.

Karimnagar: Rural people are benefitting a lot from the Telangana Diagnostic Centre set up in Karimnagar district headquarters hospital.

Every day, about 650 to 700 types of tests are being done in the diagnostic centre. Five to 20 samples are sent to the centre from each PHC (primary health centre).

Every mandal has two PHCs. A small PHC sends over five samples to the diagnostic centre and a big PHC sends over 20 samples.

Rural people, who used to face hardship visiting private diagnostic centres, are now relieved as they can avail the services for free in primary and urban health centres.

Earlier, people used to visit private diagnostic centres to undergo tests for different diseases as testing facilities were not available in PHCs and UHCs. Unable to spend huge amounts for tests in private labs, poor people used to face hardships.

However, the situation has changed with the inauguration of Telangana Diagnostic Centre.
Instead of referring to private diagnostic centres, staff of PHCs and UHCs collect the samples and send them to Telangana diagnostic centres established in district headquarters hospitals.
Test results are forwarded to patients’ mobile numbers registered with medical authorities. People using smartphones could download reports. Otherwise, they could collect reports from the respective PHC or UHC the next day.

Kasarapu Buchiramulu, who recovered from Covid in April, approached doctors in Gopalraopet PHC as he fell ill on June 8. The staff collected his blood samples for CBP, CRP, Thyroid, RFT, RBS, Fat and other tests and sent them to a diagnostic centre in Karimnagar. He collected reports the next day.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Buchiramulu said earlier, he used to approach private labs in Karimnagar to undergo tests. However, everything was done in the PHC itself without spending a single rupee, he said.

Informing that the State government was supplying reagents, Dr Sudhakar, programme officer of the diagnostic centre, said currently, the centre had sufficient reagents which were enough for the next three months.