BENGALURU: Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said on Friday that the state government has plans to provide round-the-clock healthcare services for pregnant women and newborns in all taluk hospitals in addition to district hospitals and 41 community health centres (CHCs).
The government’s aim is to strengthen maternal and child health (MCH) services and reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in the state, Rao told reporters here.
He said, “Each of these hospitals will have a ‘double triad’ of specialists – two gynecologists, two anesthetists, two pediatricians, and a radiologist. These medical professionals will ensure that pregnant women and newborns receive quality healthcare round-the-clock.”
All taluk hospitals will be upgraded to Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) centres. Forty-one CHCs with an average of 30 or more monthly deliveries will retain specialists, while around 230 underperforming CHCs will lose them.
The doctors will be shifted to busier taluk hospitals, he said. According to data, Karnataka recorded 4.71 lakh deliveries during 2024–25 and taluk hospitals registered the highest share of 33%. However, only 31 of the 148 taluk hospitals recorded more than 100 deliveries a month.