Only patients certified by Kerala govt will be allowed across border: Dakshina Kannada DC

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, April 08, 2020:  After the Karnataka government agreed to allow ambulances with non-COVID-19 patients to pass through the border, officials in Dakshina Kannada announced the terms under which passage will be allowed across the interstate border in Talapady in the district.

 

The Kasaragod district administration will intimate district authorities in Dakshina Kannada before sending ambulances with cases of medical emergencies. Only patients who require urgent medical treatment by a specialist in Mangaluru will be allowed across the border. The District Health Officer in Dakshina Kannada will depute a doctor with paramedics at the checkpost to determine whether the conditions agreed to by the state governments are complied with, a note from the Dakshina Kannada district administration stated.

"The patient only needs to be ferried in a government ambulance and only those patients will be allowed to enter Karnataka for treatment. Government doctors from Kerala should certify the condition of the patient and that they require treatment in Mangaluru since they don’t have appropriate facilities. Only one person will be allowed to accompany the patient,” a police official from Ullal working at the Talapady border checkpost told TNM.

The main road linking Kasaragod and Mangaluru comes via Talapady, which is the border town 22 km from Mangaluru.

Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police BM Laxmi Prasad confirmed the terms of passage and stated that similar terms will be placed for inter-district travel in the state as well. "lnter-district pass will be given only for medical emergencies and deaths of family members, with supporting documents. The traveller must also obtain a certificate from a qualified medical practitioner declaring he/she is free from COVID-19," said a statement by the Dakshina Kannada SP’s office.

A meeting was conducted in Mangaluru on Tuesday after the Supreme Court bench closed the petitions related to the Kerala-Karnataka border stating that an agreement had been reached in a meeting called by the Union Home Secretary with the Chief Secretaries of both the states.

The meeting in Mangaluru was attended by district officials and politicians in Dakshina Kannada. Despite resistance from some members in the meeting, it was decided that ambulances from Kerala will be allowed across the border in certain conditions. Until further instructions from higher authorities only non-COVID19 patients meeting prerequisites will be allowed to pass the border checkpost.

“Earlier during the day (Tuesday), a medical case from Kerala had reached the border, but was turned away since they didn’t have certification letters from government doctors,” the official at the checkpost said.

In the last week of March, Dakshina Kannada closed its borders with Kerala while imposing strict lockdown measures in the district. Subsequently, the Kerala government approached Kerala High Court, and sought the central government to intervene to remove the blockade as it amounted to denial of health service  and infringement of Fundamental Rights under Article 21 (Right to Life) Article 19 (1) (d) Right to Free movement.

The issue was taken up by the Supreme Court after the Karnataka government refused to allow medical emergency cases to pass through the border. The issue was resolved on Tuesday after a meeting mediated by the central government.

People living in the border areas of Kasaragod district in Kerala travel to Mangaluru to avail medical facilities.

Courtesy:The News Minute