YSRCP president Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday accused the government of weakening the implementation of the Aarogyasri health insurance scheme, alleging that the poor and middle-class families were facing difficulties in accessing quality medical treatment.

Mr. Jagan made the remarks after interacting with a delegation of doctors from Narasaraopet and Guntur at the YSRCP office at Tadepalli.

The delegation reportedly raised concerns over the functioning of the healthcare sector and the challenges being encountered by patients seeking treatment under government-sponsored health programmes.

According to the doctors, delays and deficiencies in the implementation of Aarogyasri affected access to timely healthcare for economically weaker patients. They also expressed concern over the process of issuing Letters of Credit (LOCs), alleging lack of transparency and claiming that benefits were being concentrated among a limited number of hospitals.

The delegation alleged that treatments eligible under Aarogyasri were being routed through the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF), a practice they said could lead to procedural irregularities and reduce transparency in the delivery of healthcare assistance.

Responding, Mr. Jagan said Aarogyasri had been introduced by former Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy with the objective of ensuring access of advanced medical care to the poorest citizens.

He said several initiatives were undertaken during his tenure, including expansion of Aarogyasri coverage, inclusion of additional diseases under the scheme and financial support for patients during post-treatment recovery. He also pointed to investments made in strengthening government hospitals, establishing new medical colleges, upgrading healthcare infrastructure through the Nadu-Nedu programme and implementing the Family Doctor concept.

Claiming that these initiatives had significantly improved public healthcare delivery, Mr. Jagan alleged that the current administration was failing to maintain the standards established during the previous government.

He said the YSRCP would continue to highlight issues affecting public healthcare and advocate protection of welfare schemes intended for economically vulnerable sections.