Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Nov 21: Minister for health and family welfare, Dinesh Gundu Rao, stated that the revision of service fees in government hospitals under the health department is still in its preliminary discussion phase. Efforts are being made to ensure that the fee revision does not burden the public, he assured.

Speaking to the media in Mangaluru on Thursday November 21, the minister clarified that no collective decision has been made to increase service fees in hospitals. "So far, there has been no hike in service charges in hospitals or primary health centers, except for KC General Hospital, where the revision was carried out with the approval of the health commissioner," he explained.

The discussions currently revolve around a proposed increase of 15-20%. Rao emphasized that this process is being approached cautiously, keeping public welfare in mind.

The minister further stated, "The service charges collected by hospitals are not remitted to the government. They are utilized solely for the development of the respective hospitals through the ARS (Arogya Raksha Samiti) funds." He added that the funds are used for hospital cleanliness, maintenance, and development projects, and the government only provides the necessary approvals.

Rao also noted that fee revisions in hospitals are routine, occurring once every three to four years. He urged the public not to misinterpret these revisions as measures to generate revenue for the government. "The funds collected remain with the hospitals and are used for the betterment of healthcare services," he clarified.

The minister reiterated that the government has no intention of overburdening the public and will ensure that any changes made are reasonable and justified.

On a query about the ED notice to chief minister Siddaramaiah, he said, “The ED exists to threaten the opposition. It has become a sister organization of the BJP, functioning as a political agency. The ED is not addressing corruption but is being used to intimidate the opposition. It is unfortunate that the ED has lost its credibility and original objectives. Instead, it is being used to spread misinformation, blackmail, and coerce leaders into joining the BJP.”