State facing acute shortage of doctors: Limbavali

Minister lays foundation to upgrade Udupi district hospital

Udupi district hospital will be upgraded into 250 bedded hospital and all measures have been taken to release enough amount of funds and required equipment, said Minister for Health and Family Welfare Arvind Limbavali.

Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of the foundation stone laying ceremony for the district hospital upgradation project and the inauguration of the hemodialysis and laboratory units, the minister said that he has asked the details on the present condition of the hospital from the officials concerned. The hospital has currently 125 beds and maternity home has 75 beds. Both combined together will make the bed strength to 200.

Stating that out of three patients he visited in Mangalore, only one is tested positive for rat fever, the minister said that thorough observation is taken up and surveillance is taken up in the suspected areas. As many as 60 patients were tested positive for rat fever from January till date in Dakshina Kannada district.

Awareness is created among people not to get panicked and instead to be cautious enough to attend doctors in case they suffer from fever. The possibilities of getting infected from rat fever in the coastal belt are higher. All medical department staff have been asked to be alert and also create awareness among people regarding the symptoms of the fever, he added.

He said that each district has survival unit to check the communicable diseases. The staff from nursing colleges will be asked to assist the medical staff in case of emergencies. It is the responsibility of the Urban Development department to maintain hygiene in the area. He added that district hospitals in the state do not have city scan centers and there is a need to upgrade the laboratories in government hospitals. “We have enough number of private labs. However, we are capable of detecting the communicable diseases like dengue and rat fever in government hospital labs,” he said.

Later speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the upgradation project of district hospital organised under the aegis of Department of Health and Family Welfare Services and Karnataka Health System Development and Reform Project, the health minister said that the project to upgrade district hospital is taken up at the cost of Rs five crore. He said that the provisions of Vajpayee Arogya Shree health scheme, which earlier covered only North Karnataka region is now extended to Udupi district.

As many as 1,03,740 lakh BPL card holders in the district can avail the benefits of the programme. The Government will offer financial assistance up to Rs 1.5 lakh under this programme. The patient can also get treated in referral private hospitals consented by the government. He also said that the facilities of medical service will be extended to Group C and D workers.

Shortage of doctors

He called upon physicians to be accountable to the selfless service to the people. There is increase in commercialisation of medical sector, although this field is purely a service oriented. Government intends to take strict measures against the hospitals that consider the service as business.

He assured to sanction the required number of staff in advance for the upgraded district hospital. There is acute shortage of expert physicians in the state. The doctors do not come forward to work in government hospital even though they are offered UGC scale salary, he said and added that he will support in all possible ways to set up a nursing college in the region.