All district hospitals to get 24/7 help desks, says K’taka min

Karnataka health minister K Sudhakar said He had also promised to bring a new law in the next session to fix accountability and punish the doctors and staff of government hospitals for “misbehaving” with patients

All the district hospitals in Karnataka will get 24/7 help desks to ensure easy healthcare access to patients and their families, the state government said on Wednesday.

Health minister K Sudhakar’s announcement comes in the backdrop of the death of a pregnant woman and her newborn twins at Tumakuru district hospital this month, after the hospital denied her treatment, citing that she had no Aadhaar and Mother Card. (ANI)

“Help desk will be established in every district hospital across the state. Four staff members will work round the clock in this help desk in shifts to assist patients and their families,” Karnataka health minister Dr K Sudhakar said.

The health minister’s announcement comes in the backdrop of the death of a pregnant woman, Kasturi (30), and her newborn twins at the Tumakuru district hospital earlier this month, after the hospital denied her treatment, citing that she had no Aadhaar and Mother Card.

Expressing shock over the incident, Sudhakar, had said that a doctor and three nurses were suspended for negligence. The government will give a compensation of ₹10 lakh to Kasturi’s six-year-old daughter, he said. The amount will be kept in a fixed deposit in a bank which can be utilised once she attains 18 years of age, Sudhakar said, adding that until then, the government would take care of her, including her education.

He had also promised to bring a new law in the next session to fix accountability and punish the doctors and staff of government hospitals for “misbehaving” with patients.

The tender process has been initiated for dialysis service and a new service provider will be finalised by December, said the minister. Dialysis capacity will be increased from the present 30,000 to 60,000, he said.

Speaking about the incident, the health minister said that such incidents should never repeat again. “I have instructed all the staff and employees of the health department to ensure that every patient who seeks treatment gets all possible assistance and care,” the minister said.

“44 specialist doctors have been sanctioned for Tumkur district fospital, out of which 42 specialist doctors are already on board. So, there is no shortage of specialist doctors here. There were 250 beds earlier which were increased to 400 in 2003. However, manpower is not panned accordingly and we will fix this soon,” Sudhakar said.

In view of the increase in C-section deliveries in government hospitals, Sudhakar said that a committee will be formed to monitor and check unnecessary C-section deliveries in the district and taluk government hospitals in Tumakuru.

“A cancer hospital has also been sanctioned in Tumakuru. I have inspected the progress of construction work and it is expected to be completed by March. A 100-bed trauma care centre at a cost of ₹40 crore has also been sanctioned for the district and construction will begin soon. A nursing college will also be established in the premises of the district hospital worth 20 crore,” Sudhakar said.

“There are about 28 lakh people in Tumakuru and our government is committed to provide quality healthcare services to all. There are about 144 PHCs in the district and almost all sanctioned posts have been filled. Eight additional specialist doctors are being recruited and we will also fill the vacant staff nurse, lab technicians and D group workers,” he added.