Amidst protests foundation stone laid for Koosamma Shetty Haji Abdulla hospital

[email protected] (CD Network)
October 30, 2016

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.

1shetty

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.

bjp

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

Comments

abdullah
 - 
Monday, 31 Oct 2016

BR Shetty can construct like this 100 or more hospitals.
Then why is he taking the government land which is donated by Haji Abdullah for poor people???!!!

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
July 19,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 19: A man protested in front of Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa's residence on Saturday alleging lack of medical care claimed the life of his one-month-old infant girl, police said on Saturday.

Venkatesh sat with the baby's photograph in front of the Chief Minister's house, saying the girl developed health issues on July 11 and he rushed her to a hospital, but it turned him away, the police said.

He said he had approached about a dozen hospitals and all of them refused to provide the baby any medical care. Eventually, the baby died.

This forced Venkatesh to hold a protest to draw the Chief Minister's attention to the issue, the police said.

The demonstration drew public attention and a few people joined him in the protest, they said.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
July 24,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 24: Karnataka Government on Friday issued an order regarding the refixation of rates for RT-PCR testing and Rapid Antigen testing for private laboratories in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state induced Task Force Committee has revised the rate of RT-PCR testing to cost Rs 2,000 per test and Rapid Antigen testing for private samples to cost Rs 700 per sample.

Ceiling rate for private samples in private laboratories including screening test and confirmatory test is Rs 3,000 per test, read the order

The cost is inclusive of the price of Personal protective equipment (PPE) kit, stated the government in the order.

Karnataka has reported 5,007 new COVID-19 positive cases and 110 deaths on Friday.

The total number of cases stands at 85,870 including 52,791 active cases and 1,724 deaths, added the state Government.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
June 4,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 4: Karnataka opposition leader Siddaramaiah created a flutter on Wednesday saying many disgruntled BJP leaders had met him.

"Many disgruntled BJP lawmakers have met me and, of course, expressed their displeasure," tweeted Siddaramaiah.

Congress leader Siddaramaiah''s statements assume significance as recently several reports emerged highlighting some north Karnataka legislators meeting over dinner to put pressure on Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to expand the cabinet and offer them ministerial roles.

North Karnataka leaders such as Umesh V. Katti, Chitradurga MLA G. H. Thippareddy and Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and others met over dinner.

However, the Chief Minister said he was too busy to even look at the dissidence because he is occupied with development work of the state and fighting Covid.

Siddaramaiah, the former chief minister, alleged that Yediyurappa''s son Vijayendra is functioning as a non-constitutional chief minister.

"This is true in the BJP. That dissent will continue. We are not responsible if the government collapses," he pointed out.

The Congress leader said Karnataka has stooped to the level of not being in a position to even pay salaries to its employees.

"The state was the first in economic discipline during our government. Now the government has no money to pay salaries to government employees. Not only the state but the entire country is financially bankrupt," he said.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.