The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Court asks for proposal on medical facilities

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Wednesday, Jun 24, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Court asks for proposal on medical facilities

Staff Reporter

HC tells Government to fill up vacancies of medical and para-medical staff

Proposal should contain steps taken to avoid disparity in salary of doctors
It should also look into the issue of hygiene

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday directed the Government to submit within two months a proposal (not a report) on the availability of medical facilities in all Government hospitals, public health centres and community centres in the State and fill up vacancies of medical and para-medical staff.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran and Justice V.G. Sabhahit passed the order on public interest litigation petitions by S. Vasudeva, Krishna Bhat and others seeking a direction to the Government to improve facilities in Government hospitals and to ensure that junior doctors do not go on strike.

The Bench said the proposal should contain steps taken to avoid disparity, if any, in salary to doctors, including junior doctors and house surgeons. It said the proposal should also contain clauses for amending and regulating the services of medical practitioners in Government hospitals so that their services could be effectively utilised.

It said the proposal should also look into the issue of hygiene and to inculcate the subject of geriatrics in medical education. Earlier, the Bench came down heavily on junior doctors for going on strike and on the Government for not ensuring adequate facilities in Government hospitals. It regretted that some Government doctors were running private clinics and not giving enough attention to Government hospitals. This had made patients flock to private hospitals and clinics.

It observed that the condition of all Government hospitals was pathetic and in need of urgent attention.

Reports

The court also took note of two reports filed on the status of Government hospitals in the State. While the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA) filed a 719-page report, the State Government also filed its report.

The KSLSA, in its report, said many hospitals are located in small buildings provided by panchayats and local bodies. Such hospitals do not have privacy for doctors to examine patients. The buildings have leakages and are always damp. A separate ward for labour and burns is not available. Medicines and drugs are in short supply. As there is no laundry, linen remains dirty.

It said the staff strength is inadequate and a majority of the hospitals do not have bio-medical waste treatment plants. Some of the hospitals dispose off the medical waste through buckets. Ambulance facility is inadequate and almost non-existent in primary health centres and hospitals in rural areas.

It said there were only a handful of 24-hour drug stores functioning in Government hospitals. Since there were no sanctioned posts of technician and bio-technician engineers, medical equipment is either not maintained or not in use.

The Government, in its report, said there are 17 district hospitals, eight super-speciality hospitals, 8,143 ANM centres, 2195 public health centres and 325 community health centres. It said in all, there are 65,391 posts in Government hospitals of which 17,911 posts are vacant.

It said it had introduced 21 different schemes for the poor and the needy. It said in 2008-09, Rs. 90 crore was set aside for purchase of drugs and medicines in Government hospitals. It said the Epidemic Diseases Hospital in Bangalore was demolished by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) and that the corporation itself would construct a new building.

It said the TB and Chest Diseases Hospital would also be demolished and a 250-bed hospital would come up in its place.

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