The govt reviewed guidelines from Andhra Pradesh, where a similar transformation was successfully implemented, to determine the necessary procedures for this change. This comes after doctors and staff had advocated for the conversion of TSVVP into DSHC.Health minister Damodar Raja Narasimha had committed to addressing the long-standing requests of TSVVP doctors and staff by bringing the issue to the CM’s attention, thus paving the way for a solution. On Jan 13, during a programme to distribute appointment letters to lab technicians, Raja Narasimha announced the conversion of TSVVP into DSHC. Dr Narahari, president of the Telangana Govt Doctors Association, expressed satisfaction with the govt’s willingness to make a definitive decision on this matter.Currently, under the TSVVP society, doctors, nurses, and staff do not receive salaries under the 010 category, which requires a separate budget allocation. Many employees experience significant delays in receiving their monthly salaries, which complicates their ability to meet EMI payments and other financial obligations. They also reported negative impact on their credit scores due to these salary delays.TSVVP oversees 184 district and area hospitals, and community health centres, with 5,000 vacancies out of 12,589 positions. Among those employed, 4,300 are doctors. If TSVVP is converted into the Directorate of Secondary Health, employees will receive service and retirement financial benefits similar to those of other govt employees. This name change was a pressing concern for doctors and staff since the formation of Telangana.
