Will discuss with Finance Department to bring dialysis treatment under insurance scheme: Minister
Bengaluru: Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Thursday said he will discuss with the Finance Department about bringing dialysis treatment under 'Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka' (ABRK) health insurance scheme to facilitate dialysis in private hospitals.
He was responding to questions by Udupi BJP MLA Yashpal A Suvarna during the Question Hour in the Legislative Assembly here.
Noting that the problem is that the agency that previously managed the dialysis units in the state did not manage them adequately, Rao said the salary for technicians, and PF And ESI for them are not borne by it.
Technicians used to go on strike time and again. The government held talks with the technicians and assured them that PF and ESI will be borne by the government. A negligent agency is blacklisted and fined.
A fresh tender has been invited for maintenance of dialysis units, he said. The tender process for Bengaluru, Mysuru and Belagavi divisions is already underway and the tender for Kalaburagi division will also be called soon. He assured that a new organisation will manage in a better way.
''168 dialysis units across the state have been increased to 219'', the Minister said. ''The 649 machines have increased to 800. Out of 59 taluks, 48 taluks do not have taluk health centers. So dialysis units have been set up in 48 community health centers,'' he said. So, in a month, new dialysis machines and technicians will be available, and they will be managed well.
Further stating that the dialysis units will function under the supervision of District Health Family Officers till the new institution takes over the management, the Minister said provision has been made for installation of machines for single use dialyzers in the new tender.
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No need for guv: DMK leader Kanimozhi
Chennai (PTI): Senior DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Friday reiterated her party’s opposition to the office of the governor amid uncertainty over government formation in Tamil Nadu after a fractured election mandate.
Speaking to PTI Videos, Kanimozhi emphasised that the DMK’s demand for the abolition of the governor’s post remained unchanged, especially as questions arise over constitutional propriety during the current political transition.
"Our position that we do not need a governor at all is something the DMK has never changed at any point in time," she said.
When asked about the governor’s actions following the election results—particularly the delay in inviting the leading party to form the government—Kanimozhi pointed to what she described as the "inherent friction" between the office of the governor and the political interests of the state.
She said the current situation "raises a lot of questions" and requires introspection regarding constitutional procedures.
Kanimozhi described the election results as lacking a "clear mandate", which she identified as the primary reason for the prevailing political uncertainty in the state.
"What the people decide is supreme," she said, adding that while the mandate was not decisive, it must be respected.
The Thoothukudi MP attributed the ongoing delays and "many confusions" to the absence of a decisive majority for any single party.
She firmly dismissed rumours about the DMK potentially supporting the AIADMK from outside to help stabilise the government.
She described such reports as mere "speculation" and "rumours".
"We can’t be responding to every rumour," she said, declining to comment on the AIADMK’s claims regarding its numbers to form the government.
The political situation in Tamil Nadu remains fluid as stakeholders await the governor’s next constitutional step in an Assembly where no party has secured a clear majority.
The DMK and AIADMK—both of which suffered significant losses to the TVK—are reportedly exploring tactical manoeuvres to navigate the hung Assembly.
The TVK, with 108 seats and the support of Congress’s five MLAs, is still short of the majority mark. The DMK and AIADMK secured 59 and 47 seats, respectively.
