From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Jul 1: The entire Bangalore Division will be brought under the Vajpayee Arogya Sree soon, Karnataka’s Health and Family Welfare Minister B Sriramulu said on Friday.

The scheme, providing free treatments upto a cost of Rs 2 lakh to all patients belonging to the BPL family, presently covers the districts coming under Hyderabad-Karnataka and Mumbai-Karnataka divisions. Mysore Division would be included in the final stage, he added.

Sriramulu said the issue had already been discussed with Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, and in all probability the subject would be brought before the next Cabinet meeting for the final approval. 

As many as 10,000 poor people from the two revenue divisions had taken the benefit of the scheme so far. The Government had spent a sum of Rs 61.04 crore for their treatment. In realty the scheme had become a ''Sanjeevini” for poor patients.

On the vacant posts of doctors, particularly specialists in the health department, he said initiatives would be taken to fill as many as 600 posts through KPSC shortly.

Earlier on his visit to Bangalore Institute of Oncology, the Minister honoured Sudeep Singh, a seven-year old boy from Gulbarga, who has been treated for cancer. Incidentally, the little boy is the 10,000th beneficiary of the scheme. 

The Minister called on few other patients being treated under the Vajpayee Arogya Sree at the hospital, and distributed fruits to them. 

State Government’s  Health Department Secretary Raman Reddy, the hospital Managing Director Dr Ganesh Nayak were present.