BENGALURU: The state government is all set to suspend 804 doctors for absenteeism from work. The decision comes after the doctors failed to report to work even after being served notices.
At a press conference here on Thursday, Health and Family Welfare minister K R Ramesh Kumar announced that these doctors, who were appointed by the health department, have been suspended from work after they failed to report to duty.
Besides this, 1,304 nurses, paramedical staff, lab technicians and other staff members will also be suspended, he said. The minister said that these are staffers who have not reported to work due to reasons such as transfer.
Asked about the vacancies that would be created after the suspension, he said that measures have been initiated to fill the vacancies.
Bill to regulate private hospitals
The government is all set to bring a new bill to regulate the functioning of private hospitals and improve services in government hospitals.
An expert committee headed by retired High Court Chief Justice Vikramjit Sen has been constituted to study the functioning of private hospitals and suggest measures to regulate them to protect the interest of the general public. The committee has been asked to submit its report in eight weeks, Ramesh Kumar said.
The panel will have members from the health department, private hospitals, civil society and the legal fraternity. The suggestions to be presented by the committee will be incorporated in the proposed bill.
Presently, private hospitals in the state are under the purview of the Karnataka Private Medical Establishment (KPME), Act, 2007, and the government proposes to bring them under the Central-level Clinical Establishment Act (CCEA).
The minister also assured that post-graduate degree and diploma courses will be started in all government medical colleges by the next academic year. Rural candidates will get a higher share of seats in these courses.
Ambulance services too will be further boosted in the state with purchase of 367 new ambulances. ‘Jan Aushadi’ fair price pharma stores will be opened in 200 hospitals all over the state, Ramesh Kumar said.
Dialysis units and ICUs
Taluk hospitals are being upgraded in a big way by setting up dialysis units in 146 taluk hospitals. Such units have already been set up in 34 taluk hospitals.
ICUs will be established in all taluk hospitals with three beds each. The ICUs will cost `27 lakh each, of which `15 lakh will be drawn from the respective local MLA constituency development fund.
Idli for D4, meals for D8
Government hospitals will soon meet the need for nutritious food at affordable prices for patients and their caretakers.
Well-equipped canteens will be opened in all district and taluk hospitals. They will start functioning from January 1, 2017.
These canteens will serve a plate of idlis (2) at just D4, a plate of chapathis will cost just D8 and meals with rice-sambar and buttermilk will be served for D8.
Clean drinking water units too will be opened in all the hospitals, Ramesh Kumar said. The canteens will be opened and managed by the local Stree Shakti self-help groups.
Hair-dressing salons too will be opened in district and taluk hospitals to serve the patients, he added.
OTHER PLANS
Ambulances at every 15 km, to be stationed at at PHCs and CHCs or Gram panchayat HQ
Indira Suraksha Yojane for families of farmers who committed suicide
Secondary procedure treatment with a cap of D30,000 per family under Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust as per RSBY; tertiary care with a financial cap of D1.7 lakh plus buffer of D50,000 like in Vajpayee
Arogyashree scheme.
Mohalla hospitals on Delhi model which will be extention hospitals; one doctor, one pharmacist, one nurse to be appointed
Infosys Foundation and Biocon to provide Accrose, a medical devise for screening patients
Generic drug stores in all taluk and district hospitals