R B Jagadish

Daijiworld Media Network – Karkala (EP)

Karkala, Sep 28: The beds in the maternity ward of taluk government hospital here remain vacant for more than a month for want of doctors. As neither the people representatives nor department officials have responded, poor patients are made to face the consequences.

Chief medical officer Dr Vikram Hebbar was serving as Gynaecologist in the hospital. He was seriously ill and admitted to a Mangaluru hospital on June 19 for further treatment. Dr Disha who was working in the maternity ward under NRHDM, submitted her resignation on August 27 and is working in ESI hospital in Karkala.

50 Deliveries on Average per month

Nearly 50 deliveries used to take place in the upgraded taluk government hospital. Pregnant women from Moodbidri, Belthangadi, Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga and Udupi used to come to the hospital for deliveries. While on an average 30 women used to have normal deliveries, 20 used to undergo surgeries.

30 bedded- maternity ward

There are 30 beds in the maternity ward and all of them used to be occupied. The former union minister M Veerappa Moily was instrumental in building a new hospital building at a cost of Rs 1 crore accommodating twenty beds with ONGC participation. The construction is in final stages.

Temporary doctors available for two days

The department has assigned Hebri primary health centre medical officer Dr Ranjith Nayak on temporary basis to work in the maternity ward on Mondays and Thursdays. However that arrangement has not been of much use.

Udaya A S Kotian, district panchayat health and education standing committee president has said that he has held discussions with district health officials about problems in taluk government hospital and those will be solved soon.