Lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao said it is an obligation on the state to effectively deal with healthcare by providing all facilities and infrastructure.
Interacting with doctors, paramedical staff and technicians of district and taluk-level hospitals of the Health Department here on Tuesday, he said, “Health services remain inaccessible, unaffordable, inequitably distributed and inappropriate to the needs of women, children, tribal poor and other vulnerable groups who are the most affected.”
Underlining the duty of doctors, the Lokayukta said, “It is the responsibility of doctors to maintain the trust of patients. They should be honest, open and act with integrity. Patients and colleagues should not be discriminated unfairly. In the profession, no patients should be abused. Every doctor is personally accountable for his practice and must always be prepared to justify his decisions and actions.”
‘Lifestyle Diseases Rampant’
He said the latest statistics from the Health ministry show that lifestyle diseases are rampant in Bangalore and Chennai. In Bangalore, 14 per cent and 21 per cent of people are suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure, respectively.
Of the total deaths in BBMP limits, 7.5 per cent were due to stroke, out of which 18 per cent patients were aged below 40. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) report shows that Bangalore has 113 male and 139 female cancer patients for every one lakh people.
The cancer atlas of ICMR indicates thyroid cancer is more prevalent in the coastal areas of Karnataka. Breast cancer figures in Bangalore has increased from 16 for every one lakh in 1998 to 34.1 in 2008. Cervical cancer was the leading site of cancer in Bangalore and Chennai, he added.
In India, cardiovascular mortality is likely to rise by 103 per cent in men and 110 per cent in women and cardiovascular diseases will be the greatest killer by 2020, he said.
Shortage of Docs
Justice Bhaskar Rao said India has six physicians per 10,000 people compared to 14 in China. The total number of doctors registered in 2008 was 6,95,254, which is 6 per 10,000. “Karnataka has the highest maternal mortality rate among southern states. The death rate in the state is 178 per lakh.”