A survey by NGO Helping Hands Foundation has found that 35% women are saving above Rs 1,000 by accessing free bus service and free healthcare in Hyderabad. The foundation interviewed 3,530 women at random in 15 days.
It was reportedly observed that 15% of the women were using free bus service to access free healthcare at government hospitals after the launch of Maha Lakshmi scheme by the new Congress government. A few of the government hospitals visited were Osmania General Hospital, Gandhi Hospital and the Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences.
The survey found that 71% of the women travelled to the hospitals for OPD facilities, 18% for ante-natal care and 11% for other reasons. Further, 70% used free bus service to and fro to visit the hospitals, while 30% used it only one way. Around 33% travelled more than 25 km to reach the healthcare providers.
The foundation conducted randomised survey among state-run hospitals and found that the footfall has increased between 12-15% after the free bus service scheme was introduced. The percentage of women using bus to access healthcare has increased from 52% to 81%.
Around 52% of the women interviewed said they are now saving between Rs 500-Rs 1000 due to the combined benefit of free bus travel and easy access to government healthcare. Around 60% of them said that the savings will help them pay school fees of children, 28% said that it will increase food security and others cited miscellaneous benefits.
The main concerns of the women were overcrowding and overloading of buses, the low frequency at some places and also the increased waiting time in government hospital OPDs.
Recent data released by TSRTC shows that 3 crore women passengers availed the scheme in 11 days. Last month, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy launched Maha Lakshmi Scheme, under which girls, women and transgender persons, who are domicile of Telangana, can travel free of cost in TSRTC buses.
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