Udupi : Finally, decades–old govt. maternity and child care hospital downs its shutters
Udupi, September 24: The Haji Abdulla Hospital, known as the government maternity and child care hospital in the district which was the lifeline for the poor people, not only in the district, but also in neighbouring districts for almost eight decades downed its shutters officially on Monday.
From tomorrow, the hospital will be shifted to the Karnataka Government Koosamma Shambhu Shetty Haji Abdulla Memorial Mother and Child Care Hospital, constructed by the Bengaluru-based BRS Health and Research Institute of NRI businessman BR Shetty, just besides the old building.
After then President Pranab Mukherjee had inaugurated the hospital on November 19, 2017, the out-patient section was shifted to the new hospital building as per the agreement from last July. Almost half of the services of the government hospital were shifted then itself.
In a circular issued by the Commissioner of the Health and Family Welfare department on August 29, he directed the authorities to shift all the services including out-patient and in-patient divisions to the 200-bed multi-specialty hospital with immediate effect. With this, the Commissioner has directed to close the government Maternity and Child Care hospital permanently.
Known philanthropist of Udupi, Haji Abdulla had constructed the hospital in 1930s for the poor on a sprawling four acres of land. Later, the state government and the Health and Family Welfare department have agreed to give the land to the BRS Health and Research Institute Private Limited for 30 years lease. The BRS Health and Research Institute Private Limited has constructed 200 –bed hospital instead of 70-bed hospital on land behind the Mahatma Gandhi Government Primary School and named the hospital after ‘Karnataka Government Koosamma Shambhu Shetty Haji Abdulla Memorial Mother and Child Care Hospital’. The government has said that like in the previous hospital, all the services would be free in the new hospital also.
As per the agreement, the BRS Institute would demolish the existing Maternity and Child care Hospital and construct 400-bed capacity Centre Of Excellence Hospital (Super Specialty Hospital) and Community Health Facilities shortly.
Four docs hired
Total 31 staff including six specialist doctors were working in the previous Government Maternity and Child Care Hospital. Among them , the government has deputed four doctors including two pediatricians and two gynecologists to the new hospital on temporary basis. But he did not get any order for the remaining 27 staff including two doctors, said district surgeon Dr Madhusudhan Nayak.
As there was scarcity of doctors and staff, he had appealed the state government to depute all the staffs to the district hospital. Once again, he had written to the government seeking deputation of all the staff, he said.
Among in-patients, except the patients who will discharge in a couple of days, all the patients would be shifted to the new hospital, Dr Nayak said.
The government has asked him to send some of the equipment to the Vijayapura hospital and they would be sent. For remaining equipment, the decision would be taken as per the direction of the government, he said.
Though five maternity and gynecologists were appointed in the new hospital, two government doctors were deputed as the hospital may require them during emergency situation. As the new hospital did not get eligible pediatricians, two doctors were deputed from the old hospital, he said.
Scholar G Rajashekar said that the government benefit was the right of the people. But the service to be provided by the private would become a donation. The poor people have been getting the benefits as their rights and now onwards such facilities would not continue in the new hospital. It might affect the poor patients, he said.
4.64 lakh patients got treatment in last three years
Though the hospital has been serving in the centre of the city for the last eight decades, in the last three years, the hospital has treated 4, 64,176 poor patients. Among them, 4, 32, 756 patients were given treatment as out-patients and 31,420 got treatment as in-patients.
During 2016-17, total 1, 67, 203 out-patients and 11,925 in-patients, 1,79,761 out-patents and 13, 708 in-patients in 2017-18 and till August 2018-19, 85,792 out-patients and 5787 in-patients have got the treatment in the hospital.
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Delhi Polls: BJP faces protest, placates MLA amid resentment over ticket distribution
New Delhi, Jan 12: Resentment surfaced in the BJP on Sunday over ticket distribution for Delhi Assembly polls, with a protest held outside its Delhi unit office and an angry outburst by the outgoing MLA from Karawal Nagar who was not included in the candidate list released a day earlier.
As MLA Mohan Singh Bisht threatened to revolt after being denied a ticket from Karawal Nagar, the party rushed to control the damage and announced his candidature from the Mustafabad seat this evening.
A group of protesters from Tughlakabad in South Delhi held a dharna at the gate of the Delhi BJP office, demanding a change in the candidate from the constituency.
"Vikram Bidhuri Tum Sangharsh Karo; Modi Se Bair Nahi, Rohtas Teri Khair Nahi," the protesters, including mostly youngsters, chanted as the party leaders tried to pacify them.
In the second list of BJP candidates for the polls declared on Saturday, Rohtas Bidhuri was fielded from the Tughlakabad seat. In 2020 Assembly polls, Vikram Bidhuri who is a relative of senior party leader Ramesh Bidhuri, lost to AAP's Sahiram by over 13,000 votes.
A similar protest was also held by some party workers outside the Delhi BJP office against Mehrauli candidate Gajainder Yadav after the announcement of the first list of candidates earlier this month.
Bisht, the senior-most BJP MLA in the outgoing Assembly elected five times from Karawal Nagar, openly expressed unhappiness over being denied the ticket to contest from his stronghold.
A senior party leader said he was pacified after a meeting with BJP chief JP Nadda.
Bisht, after getting the ticket from Mustafabad, expressed confidence that he would win the seat for the BJP.
"I met the national president and things were ironed out. I have assured that I will contest from Mustafabad and win the seat for the party," Bisht told PTI.
The MLA said he and the BJP had considerable support in Mustafabad and he has already attended two public meetings there.
The BJP won the Mustafabad seat, having a significant minority community presence, in the 2015 Assembly polls but lost it to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2020.
Earlier in the day, Bisht told PTI that the party's decision to replace him with Kapil Mishra was "wrong" and its consequences will be visible after voting on February 5.
"You have challenged the 'samaj' (his Uttarakhandi community), not Mohan Singh Bisht. The BJP will lose at least 8-10 seats because of this decision, including Karawal Nagar, Burari, Mustafabad and Gokalpuri," Bisht warned.
The BJP fielded Kapil Mishra, a Hindutva hardliner, from Karwal Nagar in North East Delhi, which was rocked by massive communal violence just after the 2020 Assembly polls.
Sources in the party claimed that there was also "deep resentment" among the Delhi BJP's Scheduled Castes Morcha leaders over being denied tickets from different constituencies including Madipur and Kondli.
A top Delhi BJP functionary stressed that there are many ticket aspirants, so it is natural for those who did not get selected to feel disappointed.
"The BJP is a disciplined party and its leaders understand this. Sooner or later, everyone will realise this and work for the victory of the party giving up their resentment," he said.
The elections to 70 Assembly seats in Delhi are scheduled on February 5. Results will be out after the counting of votes on February 8.
The BJP, out of power in Delhi since 1998, is making all-out efforts to return to power. In the 2015 and 2020 Assembly polls, the party was completely routed by the AAP, scraping through with just three and eight seats, respectively.
