Amidst protests foundation stone laid for Koosamma Shetty Haji Abdulla hospital

Udupi, Oct 30: Amidst opposition from several quarters, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah laid the foundation stone for the new building of the controversial Government Koosamma Shambhu Shetty Haji Abdulla Memorial Maternity and Children's Hospital here on Sunday.

The State government has signed a memorandum of understanding with a private entity, BRS Health and Research Institute Pvt. Ltd. (BRSHRI), owned by NRI businessman B.R. Shetty.

Under the MoU, 3.88 acres of land of the District Maternity and Children's Hospital has been given to BRSHRI to construct and run a 200-bed Government Koosamma Shambhu Shetty Haji Abdulla Memorial Hospital, a 400-bed super-speciality hospital, and a community service centre under public-private participation mode.

The BRSHRI will construct the new charitable maternity and children's hospital near the existing 70-bed Government District Government and Maternity Hospital, which will make way after a year for the construction of a 400-bed super-speciality hospital. The 3.88 acres of land (three adjoining sites) has been leased to BRSHRI for a period of 30 years that can be extended by another 30 years.

In his speech, Mr. Siddaramaiah made it clear that the District Maternity and Children's Hospital was not being privatised. Mr. Shetty would only be constructing and running the new maternity hospital, but it will be under the control of a committee under the Deputy Commissioner.

The intention was only to provide better healthcare facilities to the poor and not privatisation. The poor would be treated free at the maternity hospital.

Those referred from the maternity hospital would be treated free at the 400-bed super-speciality hospital, he said.

“Is it wrong to provide free and better healthcare facilities to the poor? In fact, my government had taken steps to check reckless activities of private hospitals,” he said.

Meanwhile, nearly 200 workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by former MLA Raghupati Bhat, Karkala MLA Sunil Kumar and MLC Kota Srinivas Poojary, staged a protest against what they termed privatisation of the hospital at Jodu Katte here. They were taken into preventive custody.

The district units of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Janata Dal (Secular) also staged dharnas against the “privatization” move. U.R. Sabhapathi, former MLA, and P.V. Bhandary, convener of Mahila Hagu Makkala Aspatre Rakshana Okkoota, observed a day's fast against the move.

Members of the district unit of the BJP being taken into preventive custody in Udupi on Sunday.