Nine backward taluks in Karnataka have just one doctor for 10,000 people

Nine backward taluks, including some of Karnataka’s most deprived parts, have just one doctor (government or private) for a population of 10,000, a stark data point reflecting the poor state of healthcare facilities.

While four taluks are in the Kalyana Karnataka region, five are from the relatively well-off south Karnataka districts.

According to the Economic Survey of Karnataka, 100 of the 114 backward taluks where the number of doctors was assessed showed poor performance in the particular indicator. The state has an average of six doctors for a population of 10,000.

The six taluks are Devadurga and Manvi taluks in Raichur district, Kudligi in Ballari district, Yalburga in Koppal, Madhugiri and Turuvekere in Tumakuru, Gauribidanur and Bagepalli in Chikkaballapur district and Arsikere in Hassan district. As many as 33 taluks had just two doctors per 10,000 population, 34 taluks had three and 19 had four doctors.

The backward taluks also had fewer hospital beds per 10,000 population. As in the development indicator involving number of doctors, all the 114 taluks had fewer than 13 hospital beds per 10,000 people - which is the state average. Performance of 94 of the 114 backward taluks was classified as poor by the state government.

According to Syed Hafizullah, social activist from Raichur, the poor healthcare facility in the state was a reflection of the poor political will to address problems of the region.

“We sometimes feel as if we are not in Karnataka, if we compare our district to the coast or central Karnataka districts,” he said, adding that the district had maximum vacancy. Noting that there were protests staged several times in the past, he said that the number of pediatricians and specialist doctors for women - such as gynecologists or obstetricians - were much lower.

According to K Sudhakar, Health and Family Welfare minister, the government has taken various steps to increase the availability of doctors. “Establishment of new medical colleges in four districts including Chikkaballapur, strengthening and upgrading existing government medical college seats and recruitment of vacant positions in health and family welfare department. We are planning to introduce tele-ICU in all government hospitals,” he said.

When contacted, Dr K V Thrilokchandra, commissioner, Health and Family Welfare Department, said that the government was recruiting around 2,000 doctors and 100 specialist doctors. The finance department has cleared the recruitment and the process will begin soon. This will help address some of the imbalances.”