Arvind Limbavali, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, said on Thursday that there was a massive shortage of specialists in government hospitals.
Speaking after laying the foundation stone to upgrade the District Government Hospital, here, he said it was difficult to get specialists even though the Government was ready to pay Rs. 80,000 a month to them.
Although the ministry has made provisions for the specialists to work on hourly-basis and patient-basis, the response has not been positive, he added.
Despite making the two-year rural service compulsory for the new doctors, this will not meet the shortage of specialists. Hence it would be better if the serving Government medical officers start taking up post-graduation courses. This would help the Government hospitals in the long run, he said.
Insurance scheme
He said the Vajpayee Arogyasri Insurance Scheme had been extended to over 1,400 families living below the poverty line in Udupi district. Mr. Limbavali regretted that many hospitals in the State were getting commercialised, but reiterated the Government’s commitment to crackdown on commercialisation and promote quality healthcare.
Though the Government hospitals are providing good service, an impression had developed that these hospitals were meant only for the poor and lower-middle class people. The fact is that the Government is investing more in its hospitals than the private sector on their hospitals, he said.
He called upon the Government doctors to hold talks with him if they had any issues rather than resorting to strike. He promised to convert the District Government Hospital in Udupi into a 250-bed hospital.
All the posts required for a 250-bed hospital would be sanctioned for the hospital here. “I will also hold talks with the Medical Education Minister S.A. Ramdas on the need to start a Government nursing college in Udupi,” Mr. Limbavali said.
MLA Raghupati Bhat, president of Udupi City Municipal Council Kiran Kumar, president of Hospital Development Committee P. Rabindra Nayak, and Deputy Commissioner M.T. Reju were present. Mr. Limbavali also inaugurated the renovated dialysis centre and laboratory at the hospital.
He also participated in the inaugural functions of free ambulance service and specular microscope at Prasad Netralaya, and a voluntary blood donation camp organized by the Mogaveera Yuva Sanghatane and other organisations.
