LoP Ashoka slams Karnataka govt as CT, MRI services halt in district hospitals
Bengaluru (PTI): Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka on Thursday alleged that the state’s public healthcare system was "crumbling" under the Congress government, following protests by patients and their relatives at the Kolar district hospital after critical diagnostic services like CT and MRI were halted.
Family members said they were made to run from pillar to post for the past three days.
A similar situation prevailed at the Yadgir district hospital.
A woman at the Kolar district hospital, who took part in the protest, told reporters that her husband was suffering from severe swelling on his face and authorities were refusing the scan.
“Today, they are demanding Rs 4,000 for a scan. Where should poor people go? Are they meant to die without treatment?” she asked.
Ashoka shared on his ‘X’ handle a letter written by Krsnaa Diagnostics Limited to the National Health Mission, Karnataka, seeking the release of pending dues and warning of temporary suspension of CT and MRI services from February 18 in case of non-payment.
“Karnataka’s public healthcare system is crumbling under the Congress government,” Ashoka said in his post.
First, there were reports of medicine shortages in government hospitals. Now, the Congress government has failed to clear Rs 143.78 Crores in dues to CT & MRI service providers, pending for the last three years, he alleged.
“Rs 143.78 Crores unpaid. Three years of delay. Repeated representations ignored. This is not a minor administrative lapse. This is financial paralysis in the Health Department.”
According to Ashoka, essential diagnostic services across Karnataka are under threat. If CT & MRI services are disrupted, it is the poor and middle-class patients who will suffer - accident victims, cancer patients, stroke cases, and pregnant women requiring urgent scans.
“What exactly is Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao doing?” he asked.
A Health Department that cannot clear Rs 143.78 crores in legitimate dues for three years cannot claim to care about public health, he said.
The BJP leader demanded that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah answer why Rs 143.78 crores were not released, why contractual obligations were ignored for three years, and why the Health Department is pushing life-saving services to the brink.
“If the Health Minister cannot ensure timely payments for essential services, he has no moral authority to continue in office. CM Siddaramaiah must take responsibility and immediately sack Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao from the Cabinet,” Ashoka added.
In its letter dated February 15 to the Mission Director, National Health Mission, Karnataka, the Pune-based diagnostics firm said that despite repeated communications over five years and 95 written representations in the last three years, its “rightful dues amounting to approx. 143.78 Crores” remained unpaid.
“Due to the non-release of our rightful dues, the situation has now reached a point where the Company's financial capacity to continue operations has been entirely exhausted,” the company said.
It sought an interim payment of a minimum Rs 50 crore within February 17, to stabilise its operations.
"Failing such release on or before February 17, we shall be left with no alternative but to temporarily suspend all CT and MRI diagnostic services across the State of Karnataka with effect from February 18, until the outstanding dues are cleared," the letter stated.
The company also said, “This is not a decision of choice, it is a decision forced upon us by continued inaction and non-payment.”
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Min. Priyank Kharge to expresses concern over implementation of VB-G Ram G
Bengaluru: Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Priyank Kharge has expressed concern over the uncertainty surrounding the implementation of the proposed VB-G Ram G scheme, stating that the MNREGA programme, which has been a lifeline for rural India for nearly two decades, appears to be facing an uncertain future.
Speaking to media, Kharge said that as March 31 draws to a close, there is no clarity on the rollout of the new scheme from April 1. He pointed out that the central government has not yet issued the necessary guidelines for implementing the scheme for rural workers and villages.
He criticised the Centre for its lack of preparedness, stating that there is no clarity on fund allocation, no final parameters for classifying gram panchayats, and key processes such as social audits have not been defined.
Kharge said the situation comes at a critical time, as summer marks a peak period for rural employment demand, when many people depend heavily on wage employment for their livelihood.
He added that reports have emerged of delays in approvals and families not receiving work despite demand.
He further alleged that the Centre’s move to shift from a statutory employment guarantee to a rule-based allocation system is already showing negative consequences.
Kharge also raised concerns over provisions such as a mandatory 60-day halt during agricultural seasons, which he said would further limit employment opportunities for rural workers.
The BJP-led central government had claimed that the new scheme would transform rural India, but in reality it is turning out to be detrimental to people’s livelihoods, he said.
“The crisis in rural India due to the stalling of MNREGA is beginning to unfold. Given the Centre’s past record in handling such situations, there is growing concern over the impact on rural livelihoods,” Kharge said.
