*Bribery plagues govt hospitals: Malladi Vishnu*

Tadepalli, July 11: Former MLA Malladi Vishnu said the coalition government has reduced Andhra Pradesh's public healthcare system to a state where every service in government hospitals is driven by bribery, leaving poor patients at the mercy of an indifferent administration. He demanded the immediate resignation of Health Minister Satya Kumar, stating that if he fails to step down, the government should remove him for the complete collapse of the healthcare system.

Addressing the media at the YSR Congress Party central office, Vishnu said patients are forced to pay bribes for wheelchairs, stretchers, dialysis services, blood tests, ECGs, scans and even to move bodies out of mortuaries. He said families are being charged to transport bodies within hospitals and are often left with no option but to hire expensive private ambulances due to the non-availability of Mahaprasthanam vehicles. He stated that poor people, who depend entirely on government hospitals, are being exploited at every stage despite seeking free treatment.

Vishnu said government hospitals have been crippled under the coalition government, with shortages of medicines, injections and essential medical facilities, while diagnostic services are delayed for days because equipment remains non-functional and staff are unavailable. He said hospitals have become symbols of neglect, citing incidents of patients losing their lives due to power failures in government hospitals at Anantapur, Visakhapatnam, Nellore and Kakinada, and describing shocking instances of stray dogs carrying human body parts inside hospital premises.

He further said the 108 emergency ambulance network and Aarogyasri have been systematically weakened. Emergency ambulances remain idle while patients lose their lives waiting for timely medical assistance. He also stated that patients seeking treatment under Aarogyasri in private hospitals are being asked to obtain LOCs from coalition MLAs, and signatures are being given only after receiving commissions. Vishnu said the government has abandoned the healthcare reforms created during the YSRCP regime and demanded a complete overhaul of government hospitals by restoring infrastructure, medicines, accountability and patient services.