In Andhra, Arogyasri Data Reveals Alarming Surge in Alcohol-Related Ailments

The Wire

11-05-2025

Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh faces a major public health crisis as official data shows a sharp rise in alcohol-related illnesses and healthcare costs under the Dr NTR Vaidya Seva (formerly Arogyasri) scheme. The increase has been particularly dramatic between 2019 and 2024.
The data, compiled by the Dr NTR Vaidya Seva Trust, whose statistics were made available to The Wire , shows a startling rise in patients treated for alcohol-related liver, neurological and kidney conditions compared to the preceding five-year period (2014-19).
Specifically, patients treated for alcohol-related liver diseases under Arogyasri increased from 14,026 in 2014-19 to 29,369 in 2019-24, representing a 109.4% rise.
The total expenditure for these cases grew from Rs 68.98 crore to Rs 141.20 crore during the same periods, a 105% increase based on the accessed statistics.
Similarly, alcohol-related neurological conditions saw an alarming surge, with patient numbers rising from 1,276 to 12,663 – an increase of nearly 892.4%.
The financial burden for these treatments rose from Rs 19.14 crore to Rs 49.27 crore, representing a 157.5% increase.
Cases of alcohol-related kidney ailments also rose substantially, from 49,060 patients in 2014-19 to 90,385 in 2019-24, an 84.2% increase, with cumulative expenditure rising from Rs 598.77 crore to Rs 941.65 crore, indicating a 57.2% rise.
The new National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition government has expressed grave concern about these trends, attributing the increase to liquor policies implemented during the previous YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government.
'The data is alarming,' Deepak Reddy, national spokesperson for the Telugu Desam Party and chairman of the Society for Employment Generation and Enterprise Development in Andhra Pradesh, told The Wire .
'We have consistently warned that the YSRCP government compromised the health of Andhra Pradesh's people. We repeatedly stalled the assembly to highlight this issue and presented samples publicly demonstrating compromised quality.'
He alleged that 'the Andhra Pradesh liquor scam from 2019 to 2024 is one of the biggest scams in recent times,' adding, 'By replacing national brands with their own 'J brands' [a reference to former chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy], they have severely compromised the health of AP's people.'
Reddy outlined corrective measures: 'The NDA coalition government has taken comprehensive steps to restore quality alcohol. We've announced a new excise policy that welcomes back national brands. We've also implemented stringent quality checks and IT systems to track individual bottles.'
The state health department confirmed its scrutiny and analysis of the raw data. Krishna Babu, special chief secretary in the Andhra Pradesh government's Department of Health, Medical & Family Welfare, explained the methodology.
'The health department periodically assesses disease burden. After discovering a spike in certain liver, kidney and neurological issues, we appointed a three-member committee of general physicians to analyse the increased disease burden related to alcohol consumption. They identified procedures in Dr NTR Vaidyaseva that are typically caused by excessive alcohol consumption,' he told The Wire .
'Analysis of admissions data over the past decade revealed a substantial increase in alcohol-related disease treatments during the last three years,' he added.
Regarding consumption levels, Krishna Babu noted, 'Our consultation with the excise department showed that alcohol consumption during the past five years has actually been lower than levels recorded in 2019-20. The health department is currently investigating potential reasons for this spike in cases.'
To strengthen support services, he explained, 'The health department has proposed 13 new de-addiction centres while enhancing our existing 25 facilities. We've established a committee of senior secretaries and police officers to oversee these centres and recommend facility improvements.'
Dr Bhargav Ram, a senior drug safety physician, advised caution in interpreting the data. 'From a public health perspective, the significant increase in cases could be attributed to either increased alcohol consumption over time or improved case reporting,' he told The Wire .
'We must consider patients' baseline health and disease severity. With patients who have predisposing factors or underlying conditions, can we attribute neurological diseases solely to alcohol?
'Take fatty liver disease, for example – it's a lifestyle disorder that affects many people. While alcohol can contribute to it, other factors play crucial roles, and the condition is often relatively mild. To properly assess the severity of alcohol-related cases, we need more careful examination of the study group criteria. Without a control group, it's difficult to establish a strong correlation with alcohol consumption, though a general correlation does exist,' he added.
Ram outlined several potential additional contributing factors that need more disaggregation and scrutiny.
'First, post-COVID social psychology – particularly isolation and depression – likely led to increased alcohol consumption. Second, social challenges such as unemployment and industrial crises in the state could have driven more people to drink. Third, changes in both alcohol policy and insurance coverage for liver and kidney diseases may have increased case reporting. Fourth, the new volunteer scheme provided more manpower to identify health issues in communities.'
He also struck a note of caution regarding data sources. 'Reports from healthcare professionals like doctors and therapists are more reliable than those from patients or village volunteers, where reporting methods may be inconsistent.'
Regarding the specific claim about liquor brands, Ram said that 'in the current situation where legal alcohol is subject to minimal policy checks and controls, the brand's impact on health outcomes is not particularly relevant. This is especially true when comparing different legal brands, as the chances of adulteration in legal liquor are much lower.
'When dealing with state-controlled brands, the basic constituents – including alcohol percentage – remain largely the same across different types of liquor. Unless there are issues with packaging or transport that could lead to adulteration, the specific brand is not a significant factor in health outcomes.'