AMARAVATI, Sept. 7, 2026: Andhra Pradesh has cleared the recruitment of 913 vacant ASHA worker positions, a move aimed at strengthening frontline healthcare delivery and ensuring that no sanctioned ASHA post remains vacant in the state.

Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav said the latest recruitment would complete the filling of existing ASHA vacancies. He said the government had adopted a zero-vacancy approach and had already filled 1,294 ASHA positions over the past two years. With the newly approved appointments, the number of ASHA posts filled during the period would rise to 2,207.

The 913 vacancies comprise 673 positions in rural areas, 64 in tribal areas and 176 in urban locations, according to the Health Department.

Local Women to Get Preference

The recruitment will be conducted through District Health Societies, headed by the respective district collectors, in accordance with Central government guidelines.

Women from the village or ward for which the post is notified will be given preference. Applicants should have passed Class 10 and should generally be between 25 and 45 years of age, officials said.

Health and Family Welfare Commissioner Chakradhar Babu said district authorities had been instructed to complete the selection process and forward the appointment lists by September 30.

Anakapalli Has Most Vacancies

Anakapalli has the largest share of the vacancies with 77 posts, followed by Kurnool with 65 and East Godavari with 44.

Alluri Sitarama Raju and Parvathipuram Manyam districts have 43 vacancies each, while West Godavari has 42 and Annamayya 41. Prakasam and YSR Kadapa have 38 each, followed by Krishna with 37.

Visakhapatnam has 33 vacancies; Chittoor and Konaseema have 32 each; Palnadu and Vizianagaram 31 each; Kakinada and SPSR Nellore 29 each; and Eluru 27.

Anantapur has 26 vacancies, Markapuram 25, Sri Sathya Sai and Srikakulam 22 each, while Guntur, Nandyal, Polavaram and Tirupati have 21 each. NTR district has 15 vacancies and Bapatla seven.

₹10,000 Monthly Pay

An ASHA worker will receive ₹10,000 a month. The state government will contribute ₹8,320 from its budget, with the remaining amount provided by the Centre.

The state spends up to ₹513 crore every year towards ASHA remuneration, of which approximately ₹426.84 crore is borne by the state government, while the balance is contributed by the Central government.

The government said strengthening the ASHA network would help extend basic health services to communities and improve access to healthcare at the local level.

AMARAVATI, APRIL 29:In a significant shift from curative to preventive healthcare, the Andhra Pradesh Health Department has approved a comprehensive citizen health screening scheme under which each identified individual will undergo 47 different medical tests annually, delivered through 104 Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) deployed across the State.

Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav gave his approval to the scheme on Wednesday. The initiative, which will entail an annual expenditure of ₹162.72 crore, is aimed at fulfilling a commitment made by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to assess the current health status of citizens through comprehensive medical examinations and take preventive action before diseases set in.

Scope and coverage

Under the scheme, a total of 56.4 lakh persons will be screened every year. This includes individuals identified through the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) survey as either already suffering from or at risk of various ailments, as well as students residing in welfare and educational hostels.

A marked departure from earlier practice

Until now, the 104 MMUs conducted only six types of tests once every 15 days at the village level — random blood sugar, urine sugar, haemoglobin, a rapid diagnostic test for diseases such as malaria, urine albumin, and a pregnancy confirmation test. These tests were largely carried out using rapid kits that often yielded imprecise results. Individual disease profiles and electronic health records at the village, mandal, and district levels were not being maintained.

The revamped scheme will replace this limited framework with a battery of 47 tests across 11 health parameters for each identified individual. The tests include eight liver function tests (LFT), six urine analysis tests, five lipid profile tests, five white blood cell count tests, five red blood cell count tests, four electrolyte tests, three renal function tests (RFT), three glucose tests, two coagulation tests, one ESR test for infection markers, and five other tests.

Disease profiles and health records

Based on the results of these comprehensive tests, individual disease profiles and electronic health records will be prepared for each citizen. Under the Sanjeevani scheme, personalised advisories will be issued covering immediate precautions and long-term preventive measures. Minister Satya Kumar Yadav described the launch of this screening initiative as a step of considerable importance in safeguarding the health of the State's population.

Role of service provider

In the first phase, covering a period of five years, the service provider currently operating the 104 MMU services through a fleet of 904 vehicles will be required to install, at its own cost, a semi-automatic bio-chemistry analyser, a CBC machine with three-part analyser, a microscope, and an incubator in each vehicle. The provider will also supply the necessary reagents and consumables for conducting all 47 tests. Each vehicle is expected to screen 20 persons per day across 26 working days a month, covering 520 individuals monthly.

Swift rollout directed

Minister Satya Kumar Yadav directed senior health department officials to take immediate steps to operationalise the scheme at the earliest. Officials informed the Minister that efforts were underway to launch the services within two months.

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh BJP president P.V.N. Madhav on Wednesday demanded that the Central and State governments issue clear guidelines making it mandatory for all public and private institutions to accept senior citizen cards and the "Ayushman Vayo Vandana Card."

In a statement, Mr. Madhav urged the government to take immediate steps to protect the welfare of the elderly, noting that the issue had come to light during the party's ongoing "Janata Varadhi" outreach programme, conducted under the banner of "Sarva Sparshi – Sarva Vyapti," in which party workers have been meeting citizens across the State.

During these interactions, a large number of senior citizens highlighted the difficulties they faced when hospitals refused to honour government-issued health cards. Mr. Madhav said the denial of these benefits was causing avoidable hardship to elderly patients and called on the government to issue binding orders ensuring that all institutions recognise and accept these cards without exception.

"The dignity, security, and well-being of the elderly is a responsibility that every society must uphold. The government must respond positively and take an immediate decision on this matter," he said.

AYUSH Sector Expansion Urged

Mr. Madhav also called for a comprehensive action plan to strengthen the AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy) healthcare system in Andhra Pradesh, arguing that traditional Indian medical practices were gaining recognition not only domestically but also at the international level.

He suggested that BJP ministers at both the Central and State levels coordinate efforts to develop AYUSH hospitals, medical centres, and educational institutions across the State. Expanding AYUSH services in rural areas, he said, could provide affordable and holistic healthcare to underserved populations.

Mr. Madhav further recommended that AYUSH practitioners be given adequate incentives, infrastructure support, and research opportunities to improve the overall quality of healthcare delivery. He added that awareness programmes on yoga and naturopathy would help foster a culture of preventive health among the general public.

The BJP leader expressed confidence that developing the AYUSH sector would not only improve public health outcomes but also lend greater recognition to India's traditional systems of medicine.

Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government has taken steps to strengthen the supply of medicines and surgical items to the State's 104 Mobile Medical Units (MMUs), which serve patients in remote villages, by making it mandatory to record all stock details on the e-Aushadhi portal. A two-day State-level training programme was conducted in this regard, in pursuance of directions issued by Health Secretary Saurabh Gaur.

Two-Day Training at Mangalagiri

The training programme, held at the APIIC Towers in Mangalagiri, was organised by the Information Technology wing of the Andhra Pradesh Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation (APMSIDC) under the supervision of the Dr. NTR Vaidya Seva Trust. A total of 55 district and regional managers, operations executives, and other personnel attached to the 104 MMU division received State-level training during the programme.

Master Trainers to Cascade Learning to Districts

C-DAC Senior Project Engineer Pasupuleti Ashwini said in a statement that master trainers who have undergone State-level training would in turn impart training to data entry operators attached to the 104 mobile medical units at the district level, ensuring uniform implementation of the new system across the State.

Real-Time Stock Monitoring Now Possible

Ashwini noted that the availability of stock details online would enable authorities to monitor the supply of medicines and surgical items at any point in time, facilitating timely replenishment based on actual requirements. She added that online stock registration had already been in place at Health and Wellness Centres for over a year, and that the training programme had been organised to extend the same system to the 104 MMUs in accordance with Health Secretary Gaur's directives.

Plugging Gaps in Village Healthcare Delivery

The move is expected to bring greater accountability and efficiency to the last-mile delivery of medicines to patients in villages, where the 104 mobile units serve as a critical healthcare lifeline. By integrating the MMUs into the e-Aushadhi framework, the government aims to ensure that stock shortfalls are identified and addressed promptly, reducing disruptions to rural healthcare services.