State Govt open for private tie-ups and development

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, Oct 31, 2016: Speaking after laying the foundation stone of the Government Koosamma Shambhu Shetty Haji Abdullah Memorial Maternal and Children Hospital at Udupi  on Oct 30, Sunday.   CM  Siddaramaiah said that the Congress-led state government is totally against the privatisation process.

The state government is against privatisation, but has no regrets in joining hands with private companies to ensure better living conditions to the downtrodden. The people should always welcome good deeds and not oppose development works, requested the chief minister.   Expressing grief over the poor having to spend lakhs of rupees for health care in private hospitals, Siddaramaiah added that such people come seeking help. The government, through CM Relief Fund, tries to offer the amount and spends nearly Rs 200 crore per year. It decided to work sincerely on substitute facilities, where the poor are offered similar sophisticated facilities without having to go to private hospitals seeking good treatment.

He clarified that the proposed Government Koosamma Shambhu Shetty Haji Abdullah Memorial Maternal and Children Hospital will be in the control of the government and there would be no scope for any sort of privatisation. The 200-bedded hospital is for poor and will remain for poor, the chief minister insisted. The state government is the voice of the poor, he said and added the government is the epitome of secularism. It stands for the poor, Dalits, OBCs, farmers, women and all other weaker sections. He said the government spends nearly Rs 1.63 lakh crore every year on various schemes and projects, of which, Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000 crore is spent to provide health care amenities. Nearly 80% of the assurances made in the poll manifesto are fulfilled. The government will always stand by the words, he promised.

Health Minister K R Ramesh Kumar said that the government proposes to develop the Lady Goshen Government Hospital in Mangaluru. The Hospital would be upgraded into a 500-bedded hospital as against the present 270 beds. He said the government is committed to develop all the government hospitals, right from the PHCs.

The minister said that the government has plans to start PG diploma courses in specialised medical areas in government medical colleges in order to overcome the shortage of skilled medical staff. There are nearly 1,183 posts vacant in the department. A committee is also set up under the retired judge Vikramjith Sen to give away the report within eight weeks studying the conditions of the government hospitals.

He added that the Udupi hospital has been upgraded to a district government hospital and named after philanthropist Haji Abdullah.