Karnataka to spend Rs 1,500 crore to upgrade 149 taluk, 19 district hospitals

The government intended to provide maximum health facilities at the taluk level itself

Ramping up health infrastructure across Karnataka ahead of the possible third wave of Covid, the state Covid task force on Monday approved an action plan of Rs 1,500 crore, upgrading 149 taluk hospitals and 19 district hospitals with ICU ventilators, high dependency unit (HDU) beds and oxygenated beds.

The task force headed by Deputy Chief Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayana directed constitution of a technical committee and ordered the completion of the project within three months.

“Our objective is to equip the state to face any type of medical challenges in the near future and not necessarily the Covid pandemic. We have decided to spruce up infrastructure from the taluk level by upgrading hospitals with advanced life support system that can stabilise patients during any emergency,” Dr Ashwath Narayana said.

The DyCM said, “the action plan involves overhauling of the existing facilities. Every taluk hospital will have a 100-bed facility, including 25-bed ICU ventilator facility, 25-bed HDU and 50-oxygenated beds. Besides remote ICU facilities, all kinds of diagnostic facilities will be provided at these hospitals. We will also be working on a war-footing to recruit skilled manpower for these facilities.”

As per the estimation submitted to the task force by the Health department, the proposed health infrastructure from taluk to district level with various specialised departments would at least require 4,000 doctors.

“We need to appoint three nurses for each doctor and three group ‘D’ workers. The overall set-up will cost us Rs 1,500 crore, out of which Rs 600 crore will be spent as annual salaries to these employees,” Dr Ashwath Narayana said.

“No patient shall come out of the taluk for any treatment and about 97% of the treatment must be available within the district. The government’s view is that there shall not be any discrepancies in maintenance and quality of services offered at the government hospital. The technical advisory committee involving experts from Boston Consulting Group will provide us technical assistance free of cost as part of their CSR initiative,” he said.

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