Activists of the Shantaveri Gopala Gowda Samajawadi Adhyayana Kendra Trust staged a protest here on Tuesday demanding upgrading of the medical services and facilities at the District McGann Hospital and initiation of measures to fill the vacant posts there.
Addressing the protest meet, Kallur Megharaj, managing trustee of the organisation, expressed displeasure over the alleged delay in filling the vacant posts of radiologists at the hospital. Nine posts of radiologists were remaining vacant in the hospital for a long time. Owing to lack of radiologists, the patients were forced to undergo x-ray, computed tomography and magnetic resonance image (MRI) scanning at private health establishments. As a majority of patients coming to McGann hospital were from low-income families, they were unable to afford the exorbitant fees being charge at private health establishments for availing themselves of these services, he said.
Although the McGann hospital had a state-of-the-art x-ray unit, it had remained defunct owing to shortage of staff. A reception centre should set up in the hospital for the convenience of patients and other visitors, he said and demanded that trauma and neurology care units be set up at the hospital at the earliest.
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G. Madappa, ex-MLC, and functionaries of the trust N.V. Halappa, Venkatesh and Sridhar participated in the protest.
Patients are forced to undergo X-ray and other tests from private health establishments: Trust
Need to set up a reception counter for the convenience of patients and visitors emphasised