Sreeramulu for merger of health, med edu depts

Health Minister B Sreeramulu said health and medical education departments should be brought under a single department to provide quality medical service to the people.

Speaking after inaugurating a state-level pathology conference at S Nijalingappa Medical College here on Friday, he said, "The health department has hospitals. But they need the assistance or medical colleges to deliver quality service and it is not possible now. We can achieve something if the two departments are merged."

MLA Veeranna Charanthimath supported the minister's view. "The health and medical education departments are under a single ministry at the Centre too. The state earlier had the same system. The health department was bifurcated to provide more representation to people in the Cabinet when Ramakrishna Hegde was the chief minister. This needs to be rectified now. The issue will be discussed with the chief minister."