Knee, hip replacement surgeries now available in 39 govt hospitals across K’taka: Dinesh Gundu Rao
Bengaluru: Knee and hip replacement surgeries are now being carried out in 39 government hospitals across Karnataka, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said on Thursday.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, he said such surgeries were earlier available in only 17 government hospitals. With the addition of 22 more government medical colleges and taluk hospitals, the service has now been expanded across the state.
The minister said that in the past, even government hospitals used to refer patients to private hospitals for knee and hip joint replacement procedures. However, the surgeries are now being performed in government institutions themselves.
Citing data for the 2023-24 financial year, he said that out of 1,709 knee and hip replacement surgeries conducted, only 601 cases, or 35 per cent, were performed in government hospitals, while 1,108 cases, or 65 per cent, took place in private hospitals. He said this reflected a high dependence on private healthcare facilities.
He added that specialist surgeons are now providing dedicated training to doctors in government hospitals. As a result, government doctors have already started independently performing these surgeries successfully.
Earlier, patients had to travel 300 to 500 kilometres for treatment. With advanced surgical facilities now available at district and taluk levels, patients can save both time and expenses, he said.
The minister also announced that a helpline has been launched by Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust to provide guidance regarding knee and hip replacement surgeries in government hospitals. Patients can contact 18004258330 for assistance, counselling and decision-making support.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
