Minister for Medical Education Sharan Prakash R Patil and District In-charge Minister Madhu Bangarappa at a meeting held in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
DH Photo
Minister for Medical Education, Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Sharan Prakash R Patil stated that the state government is preparing a comprehensive blueprint to transform Shivamogga into a major healthcare hub to cater to the entire Malnad region.
He was chairing a high-level meeting held at Vikasa Soudha in Bengaluru on Wednesday. The government has resolved to elevate the city into a full-fledged regional healthcare hub, he added.
Furnishing details, Minister Patil said a healthcare hub model involves a cluster of medical institutions including
medical colleges, specialty, and super-specialty hospitals designed to meet the complete healthcare needs of people from the district and surrounding regions.
With Shivamogga already having a robust road, rail and air connectivity, the city is ideally positioned to serve as a healthcare centre for Malnad.
Just as Kalaburagi has been developed into a healthcare hub for the Kalyana Karnataka region, Shivamogga will now serve as the medical backbone of Malnad, minister Patil said.
District General McGann hospital is currently overcrowded, and the doctors are working under tremendous pressure.
More funds to come
“We will infuse more funds to establish new specialty and super-specialty hospitals to
relieve this burden and upgrade medical facilities in the region,” he promised.
Shivamogga Ddistrict In-charge Minister Madhu
Bangarappa emphasised that while Shivamogga district has only seven taluks, the patient load at the district hospitals comes from 26 nearby taluks.
To reduce pressure on these facilities and also to ensure quality medical care, establishing an advanced specialty hospitals in the district is a necessity, he stressed.