Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Saturday inaugurated 10 Critical Care Blocks (CCBs) and 12 Integrated Public Health Laboratories (IPHLs) in Andhra Pradesh, under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM).
According to Nadda, critical care blocks and integrated public health laboratories represent two essential dimensions of a resilient health system. He said that while CCBs strengthen the health system’s capacity to respond to critically ill patients, IPHLs strengthen its ability to understand, detect and control disease.
The newly inaugurated CCBs are located at GMC Kadapa, ACSR GMC Nellore, GMC Srikakulam, AMC Visakhapatnam, GMC Ongole, District Hospital Anakapalli, GMC Rajamahendravaram, KMC Kurnool, District Hospital Hindupur and SMC Vijayawada.
The 12 IPHLs are located at Area Hospital Seethampeta, Area Hospital Guntakal, Area Hospital Palamaner, Area Hospital Aganampudi, Area Hospital Nandigama, Area Hospital Chirala, Area Hospital Araku, Area Hospital Narasaraopeta, Area Hospital Banaganapalli, Area Hospital Anaparthy, Area Hospital Tuni and Area Hospital Gudur.
Addressing the gathering, Nadda said the inauguration was “not simply an infrastructure inauguration, but an important step towards building a stronger health security architecture for Andhra Pradesh and the nation.”
Recalling the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said the crisis demonstrated how quickly a health emergency could escalate into an economic, social and livelihood crisis and, ultimately, a national emergency.
“COVID-19 taught us that health security is national security,” Nadda said.
He noted that during the pandemic, regular hospital infrastructure had to be converted into isolation and COVID-care facilities, affecting the delivery of several non-COVID essential health services. The PM-ABHIM was conceived against this backdrop to strengthen the health system’s ability to respond to future pandemics and public health emergencies while ensuring continuity of routine healthcare.
“We can no longer think of hospitals only in terms of the number of beds,” Nadda said.
He added that a resilient health system requires critical-care capacity, oxygen and medical-gas systems, isolation facilities, trained manpower, laboratory capacity and the ability to detect outbreaks early while maintaining routine healthcare services.
Under PM-ABHIM, the Centre has sanctioned 631 critical care blocks across states and union territories.
In Andhra Pradesh, 24 CCBs have been sanctioned with an estimated investment of approximately INR606 crore. The facilities are being developed across government medical colleges, district hospitals and area hospitals.
The Centre has also sanctioned 26 IPHLs in Andhra Pradesh with an allocation of INR32.50 crore. Civil works for all 26 laboratories have been completed, with 14 already functional and the remaining 12 inaugurated on Saturday.
Overall, the Centre has approved INR1,271.80 crore for Andhra Pradesh under four PM-ABHIM components during the five-year scheme period: Critical Care Blocks, Integrated Public Health Laboratories, Urban Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and Rural Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and state Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav attended the inauguration, along with members of Parliament, members of the legislative assembly and legislative council, senior government officials, doctors and healthcare professionals.
