The annual general body meeting of Arogya Raksha Samithi of Government Wenlock and Government Lady Goschen hospitals, here on Monday ended with it deciding to send a proposal to the government to upgrade Wenlock Hospital as a regional hospital to cater to the needs of patients in 10 nearby districts.
District Surgeon at Wenlock Hospital Rajeshwari Devi told the meeting presided over by B. Ramanath Rai, Minister in-charge of Dakshina Kannada, that patients from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kodagu, Chikmagalur, Hassan, Shimoga, Uttara Kannada, Davangere, Bagalkot and Kasaragod (Kerala) availed treatment at the hospital. Hence, the hospital should be upgraded as the regional hospital to add more infrastructure and medical facilities.
The meeting gave approval for asking the government to construct a new 200-bed hospital building (for Wenlock) to house all medical facilities under one roof under the National Urban Health Mission.
Dr. Devi said that patient wards, outpatient department, casualty section and investigation facilities are spread out in different buildings. It was causing inconvenience to patients. There was a need to integrate them in one building. She pointed out that roofs of some those buildings were leaking.
Posts vacantThe doctor said that the hospital was understaffed. About 50 per cent of the sanctioned posts in the hospital were lying vacant.
She said that of 40 sanctioned posts of doctors 18 were vacant, of 138 posts of nurses eight were vacant and of 286 posts of Group D employees 186 were vacant.
