Mangaluru: Children's Rights Commission expresses concern over conditions at Wenlock Hospital
Mangaluru: The Chairman of the State Children's Rights Protection Commission, Shashidhar Kosambe, visited the District Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre at Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru on Friday, where he expressed his dissatisfaction over the poor conditions and mismanagement at the facility.
Kosambe personally sampled the food provided to the children at the centre and interacted with the parents of the children who were admitted. He raised concerns after finding that the newly increased rate of ₹370 per day for the caregivers was not reflected in the centre's records, which still showed the older rate of ₹100.
He was also critical of the poor management of child admissions at the centre, noting that no proper register was maintained. He reprimanded the centre’s supervisors for the lapse and issued a show-cause notice to the medical authorities, directing them to submit the required information to the Commission.
Kosambe also visited the emergency unit where severely malnourished infants are treated and then proceeded to inspect the Ladygoshen Hospital. During his visit, he noted several issues, including the malfunctioning of the air-conditioning systems in the critical care unit. According to Kosambe, a 24/7 air-conditioning system is mandatory in such units, but the system was found to be inoperative.
He also expressed concern over the inadequate CCTV surveillance at the hospital. In the wake of recent incidents of child abductions across the country, Kosambe stressed the need for a proper surveillance system to ensure the safety of the children.
Kosambe highlighted that although the district health officials had identified 28 severely malnourished children in the district, no rehabilitation efforts were being provided for them at the centre. Despite government funds being allocated for infrastructure, beds, and staff, no records were maintained, and no steps had been taken to provide adequate care.
He further criticized the dietician staff for handling financial records, nutritional food information, and government guidelines instead of ensuring proper care. Kosambe noted that the food for the children was being stored in a refrigerator, but it appeared to be improperly maintained.
"We believe that every child must be given the best nutritional care. However, due to the negligence of the authorities here, I have directed the hospital authorities and district health officials to take immediate action and provide a report to the Commission within three days. If no action is taken, the Commission will file a suo-motu case," he said.
Kosambe emphasized that a detailed report about the actions taken to address the issues raised during his visit must be submitted within three days. He warned that failure to submit the report would lead to the Commission taking legal action and referring the matter to the government for appropriate recommendations.
Present during the visit were District Health Officer Dr. Timmayya, Wenlock Hospital Superintendent Dr. Shivaprasad, and RCHO Dr. Rajesh.
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Governor urges enhanced budgetary support for higher education in state budget
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Saturday urged the state government to provide stronger budgetary backing to the Higher Education department in the forthcoming state budget.
Presiding over the Karnataka State Public Universities Vice Chancellors’ Conference–2026, organised by Lok Bhavan in collaboration with the Higher Education department and the Karnataka Higher Education Council, the Governor stressed that public universities require structured and sustained financial support, a press release issued by Lok Bhavan said.
“Universities, having limited internal revenue sources, require special financial care and structured budgetary support,” the release quoted Gehlot as saying, while appealing to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to ensure the March 6 State Budget is more beneficial to higher education.
The Governor expressed satisfaction over the Chief Minister’s participation in the conference and voiced confidence that the upcoming budget would prioritise higher education.
He specifically called for filling long-pending vacancies in institutions such as Karnataka State Dr Gangubai Hangal Music and Performing Arts University, Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Kannada University, Karnataka Janapada University, and Dr B R Ambedkar School of Economics University, along with adequate financial provisions for their development.
Emphasising the need to strengthen government universities, Gehlot said deliberations at the conference reflected Karnataka’s readiness to steer higher education in a new direction.
He also called for increasing admissions in government institutions and examining why students prefer private universities despite higher fees.
The Governor stressed strict adherence to academic calendars to ensure timely admissions, examinations and declaration of results.
Improved coordination between Vice Chancellors and Registrars, upskilling of academic staff, curriculum updates aligned with present-day needs and the introduction of job-oriented courses were identified as priorities.
Highlighting campus development, he stressed the need to improve quality, cleanliness and greenery, and urged active implementation of initiatives such as “One Tree for Mother.”
He also encouraged universities to promote sports participation to enable students to represent institutions at district, state, national and international levels.
On governance and transparency, Gehlot pressed for strict compliance with central and UGC guidelines within stipulated timelines.
The release said he emphasised that institutional credibility depends on resolving internal disputes democratically and maintaining transparency in financial matters.
He added that the Chancellor must foster harmony among stakeholders to avoid unnecessary inquiries and administrative disruptions.
The Governor suggested that universities expand international collaborations for academic and student exchange, enhance national rankings and address faculty shortages and infrastructure gaps.
Leveraging central schemes and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds was suggested as a way to bridge financial constraints with State support.
According to him, universities should preference to Indian traditional dress as uniform attire during annual convocation ceremonies to promote cultural heritage.
The conference commenced with the rendition of Vande Mataram, Jana Gana Mana and Naada Geethe. Higher Education Minister M C Sudhakar welcomed participants and outlined the objectives of the conference.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar were among those present on the occasion.
