G A Koteyar, president of Mass India, an NGO, threatened to stage a hunger strike in front of Kasturba Hospital in Manipal on October 2 in order to protest against withdrawal of treatment for ESI cardholders.

Koteyar said on Thursday that the hospital had restricted itself to conducting preliminary tests and secondary treatments. “Surgery and other treatments were not covered under ESI even though the hospital had signed an agreement with ESI Corporation 40 years ago. The protest will be held in a manner without causing any disturbance to patients in the hospital,” he added.

He urged the hospital to honour its agreement with ESI and resume super speciality service within 10 days. There were more than one lakh people who were remitting money every month to ESI Corporation under ESI medical facility scheme in the district.

He urged government to open a ESI super specialty hospital in Udupi district as a solution to the problem.