Udupi, Nov 19: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday formally inaugurated the renovated and renamed Koosamma Shambhu Shetty Memorial Haji Abdulla Maternity and Children’s Hospital near Chittaranjan Circle in Udupi.
The district maternity and children’s hospital is a part of the Udupi’s district government hospital. However, while the district government hospital is located at Ajjarkad, the district government maternity and children’s hospital was located some distance away. Philanthropist the late Haji Abdulla had donated land for both the hospitals to governments six decades ago.
Speaking on the occasion, Siddaramaiah said that though the hospital would be run by the BRS Health and Research Institute Pvt. Ltd., owned by NRI businessman B.R. Shetty, its full control will be with the district administration. “This is not privatisation of the hospital,” he claimed.
Opposition to ‘privatization’
The Save District Government Maternity and Children’s Hospital Committee has questioned the haste in the inauguration of the Koosamma Shambhu Shetty Memorial Haji Abdulla Maternity and Children’s Hospital.
Addressing presspersons, Yogish Shet, committee member, said that the District Government Maternity and Children’s Hospital has been rendering good service.
But the government, in 2016, decided to allow the BRS Health and Research Institute, owned by B.R. Shetty to construct a maternity and children’s hospital, a super-speciality hospital and an urban community health centre. These will come up on four acres of land where the Government Maternity and Children’s Hospital is located.
P.V. Bhandary, committee member, sought to know how funds from the super-specialty hospital would be used to cross-subsidise the Maternity and Children’s hospital.
“What is the hurry to inaugurate the hospital when its construction was not fully completed? Was it because the Model Code of Conduct would become effective in three months? How many medical and paramedical personnel appointed for the hospital?” he asked.
Addressing Kannadiga delegates from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and other countries through a video conference, Dr Narayan also assured that necessary steps will be taken by the Karnataka government to provide free quarantine facility for those who cannot afford private quarantine in hotels or guest houses. The video conference was organised by coastaldigest.com.
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