Government-run hospitals are fast losing preference as people would rather beg, borrow, steal and go to private hospitals than the former, said Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde.
Speaking during the 10th anniversary celebrations of The Com DEALL Trust here on Sunday, Mr. Hegde said government hospitals are no longer as sought after as they were earlier.
“Back in the 1950s, Victoria and Bowring hospitals were the most prestigious hospitals in the city where even the affluent used to go due to their excellent service,” he said.
Mr. Hegde added that according to the Constitution, health care and education are the constitutional obligations of the State but unfortunately, the State has failed to fulfil these obligations to a large extent.
The Lokayukta released training material and manuals regarding the intervention programme for children with communication disorders such as specific language impairment, developmental verbal dyspraxia, pervasive developmental disorder and autism.
Two units working with the trust — SRC Institute of Speech and Hearing, Bangalore, and Vinayaka Missions University in Puducherry — were certified as affiliates of the trust.
P. Satish Chandra, Director and Vice-Chancellor of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurological Sciences (NIMHANS), said the guidelines laid out by the trust should be followed by other institutes for early diagnosis.
Prathibha Karanth, founder-director of the trust, announced that they were looking closely at research and training and also expand to other parts of the country beyond the southern zone.