Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu officially launched the comprehensive expansion of the ambitious Sanjeevani Healthcare Project at Kandrika village in Yadamarri mandal of Chittoor district on Saturday. This initiative marks a significant shift from traditional healthcare to a comprehensive digital public health operative system, which will be rolled out statewide on August 15.
Key Features of the Sanjeevani Initiative
The Sanjeevani initiative is designed as a citizen wellness mission functioning on three foundational pillars: preventive, predictive, and curative healthcare. A major highlight of the rollout is the planned introduction of AI-enabled doctor services, which will allow citizens to access virtual medical consultations directly from their homes.
Addressing a large gathering at the Praja Vedika public meeting, Naidu emphasized that health remains the ultimate priority above wealth or power, particularly for families facing severe financial distress due to skyrocketing out-of-pocket medical expenses. He described the project as a milestone that transitions the state from illness to wellness.
Digital Infrastructure and Unified Database
Operationally, the infrastructure is built upon a cutting-edge digital nerve center that seamlessly integrates patient records across primary health centers and major hospitals. This ensures a unified, secure database allowing doctors to continuously monitor individual digital health histories, prescriptions, and diagnostics via a dedicated Sanjeevani card.
Financial Allocation and Mobile Medical Units
The government has backed this massive rollout with an approved expenditure of Rs 162 crore to deploy 904 mobile medical units tailored to service remote and rural pockets. Furthermore, the initiative guarantees the doorstep delivery of 74 distinct types of medical diagnostic tests, with instructions issued to officials to transmit the reports directly to beneficiaries via WhatsApp within 48 hours of testing.
Statewide Rollout and Budgetary Support
Asserting that the NDA alliance government was giving top priority to education and healthcare in the state, the Chief Minister pointed out that Rs 19,305 crore has been allocated to the health sector in this year's budget. Andhra Pradesh also secured the highest health grant of Rs 2,601 crore from the 15th Finance Commission.
Under the universal health policy, every citizen, regardless of economic background, will receive healthcare benefits worth Rs 2.5 lakh, while treatment costs up to Rs 25 lakh will be covered through NTR Vaidya Seva and the Chief Minister's relief fund.
Political Context
Launching a scathing attack on the YSRCP, Naidu referred to the party as a 'Goddali party,' which he claimed was harmful for the state, whether in ruling or opposition. He accused the YSRCP of trying to divert public attention from the massive transformation of the state since the TDP-led NDA alliance returned to power.
