An eight member expect committee on health reforms, from Andhra Pradesh, headed by Chairperson K Sujatha Rao visited Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) in Tirupati on July 16.

During the visit, the committee inspected all the departments of SVIMS including Emergency Medicine, Nuclear Medicine and Radiology, the Institute said in a release. SVIMS Director- cum-Vice-Chancellor Dr.T.S.Ravikumar made a brief presentation on SVIMS to the committee and outlined the progress made by the institute and initiatives of SVIMS to improve health care quality.

Highlighting three unique achievements of the Institute, Dr Ravikumar said that SVIMS only institution in AP and Telangana states to be ranked in both categories - Top 100 universities and Top 30 medical institutions of India and Only system in India to have Real Time Actionable Patient Experience of care (R-TAPE) portal, so as to be sensitive to public concerns to improve health system.

He described some of the initiatives of SVIMS designed for Rayalaseema population -- the Women’s Cancer Initiative of SVIMS the ‘Pink Bus’, Community CPR Program, Nephrology and Neurosurgery programs. Dr Ravikumar remarked that SVIMS is the only University in the country with no salary support and amongst the lowest grant in aid received of comparable universities and medical institutions in public sector.

SVIMS VC also reiterated the demand to AP Government to improve the funding. Further, he made the case for non-sustainability of SVIMS budget, unless the Government comes forward with Rs 50 crore salary grant or SVIMS considered on par with BIRRD ( Sri Balaji Institute of Surgery, Research and Rehabilitation for the Disabled ) by TTD with full support.