Health Minister C. Damodar Rajanarasimha at a review meeting with senior health officials on Wednesday. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
The Telangana health department has decided to prepare comprehensive health profiles of 46 lakh women belonging to self-help groups (SHGs) across the state, with the large-scale screening to begin on March 8 on the occasion of International Women’s Day. Each woman will undergo 30 types of medical tests through Telangana Diagnostics under the initiative.
The decision was taken during a review meeting chaired by Health Minister C. Damodar Rajanarasimha on Wednesday to discuss the programs to be implemented under the 99-day ‘Praja Palana – Pragati Pranalika’ plan.
The minister directed officials to implement the action plan from March 6 to June 12 while ensuring that normal medical services in hospitals are not disrupted. The plan will be implemented in four phases.
The first phase, scheduled from March 6 to March 31, will focus on maternal and child health, adolescent girls and health services for the elderly. Administrative improvements such as hospital sanitation management, backlog handling and asset verification will also be made during this period. Field level activities will include screening children in schools and Anganwadi centers for anemia and other health problems.
During this phase, the State will start the Self Help Group Women’s Health Profile Programme. The screenings will take place in three stages. Initially, the program will be launched in five mandals in each district, followed by 10 more mandals in the second phase. In the final phase, the projection will be extended to all the remaining mandalas. The minister directed the officials to complete the entire vetting process within six months.
The second phase of the program will last from April 1 to April 15 and will focus on early detection of non-communicable diseases. Screening camps will be organized at sub-centres to detect conditions like hypertension, diabetes and cancer. The minister also directed officials to map out chemotherapy services at district cancer day care centers and introduce mandatory viral infection testing for dialysis patients.
The third phase, from April 16 to May 15, will focus on infection control and strengthening public health preparedness. Officials will intensify efforts to identify tuberculosis cases in line with the National TB Elimination Program. The Ministry of Health will also lead public awareness campaigns on seasonal diseases such as heatstroke, dengue fever and malaria, while ensuring adequate availability of emergency medicine.
The fourth phase, planned from May 16 to June 12, will focus on expanding health services in urban areas. As part of this effort, 145 Urban Primary Health Centers (UPHC) in GHMC, Cyberabad and Medchal areas will be upgraded to polyclinics providing specialized medical services. Mobile medical camps will also be organized in slums to improve access to healthcare for the urban poor.
Published – March 4, 2026 8:46 PM IST
