JOIN USNo MRI, endoscopy equipment in dist hospitals, admits minister
Minister for Health and Family Welfare U T Khader on Thursday said there are no equipment to conduct endoscopy and MRI and CT scans in district hospitals, across the state except for a CT scan machine in Chitradurga hospital.
Replying to L A Ravi Subramanya (BJP) in the Legislative Assembly, the minister said that while the Chitradurga district hospital has a scanning machine, the Lingasugur hospital is going to get one. But no hospital functioning under the Health department has MRI scan and endoscopy equipment.
In case there is a demand for such equipment, the government would supply them. A demand has been placed before the department for 11 CT and two MRI scanners and endoscopy equipment, he added.
Subramanya said: “There are no doctors and equipment in government hospitals. So, what treatment can poor patients get? There is no demand from district health officers for equipment because they work in private hospitals and they do not want these private institutions to lose business. Government doctors refer patients to private hospitals.
For each scanning not less than Rs 6,000 to 8,000 is charged.”
Poor pay packet
Cutting across party lines, many MLAs told Khader that government hospitals lack doctors due to poor salary offered to them. A government doctor, who is on a contract basis, gets just Rs 24,000 a month while doctors are paid in lakhs in private hospitals.
The MLAs also said jobs in government hospitals become attractive provided doctors are hired on a permanent basis for a decent salary. Ramesh Kumar (Cong) said if private nursing homes are made to strictly follow the basic norms to run the hospitals, then many would shut shop and doctors would take up government jobs.
While some MLAs said doctors should not be allowed to take voluntary retirement, some opined that in-service doctors should not be allowed to go on long leave for higher studies.
In his reply, Khader said the government was already levying fine on those doctors who fail to take up rural service.
A bill making it mandatory is pending President’s assent. In addition, 336 doctors would be recruited once the rules for recruitment for Hyderabad Karnataka districts are framed.
There are 379 vacant posts for MBBS doctors, he said.
New colleges
Minister of State for Medical Education Dr Sharan Prakash Patil said the Medical Council of India did not give permission for opening a medical college in Haveri, because it lacks a hospital with 300 beds.
Replying to K B Koliwad (Cong), Dr Patil said 51 acres has been earmarked for opening a medical college in Haveri. A hospital with a minimum of 300 beds is compulsory to get a medical college attached to it. The government will open dental colleges in Karwar, Madikeri, Koppal and Chamarajnagar in the current fiscal. Efforts would be made to open a dental college in Haveri, he added.