Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Kota Shrinivas Poojary has directed health department officials to ensure that patients referred from district hospitals to private hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka scheme receive necessary treatment without any obstacles. He expressed this while chairing the DISHA meeting held at the zilla panchayat on Saturday.
Concerns Over Scheme Implementation
The MP stated that the government has implemented several schemes to provide quality healthcare to the public, and it is the responsibility of officials to ensure these benefits reach those in need. He highlighted repeated complaints that patients referred under the Ayushman scheme are not receiving adequate treatment. Despite appointing coordinators to assist patients, there was a lack of proper response and cooperation, he said, directing officials to take corrective action.
He specifically pointed out that a private hospital in Manipal was not responding adequately to patients referred from district hospitals under the scheme. He instructed officials to write to the state director regarding this issue. Furthermore, he directed that a meeting be convened within a week under the deputy commissioner, involving representatives, to resolve the matter.
Infrastructure and Development Issues
Referring to infrastructure, Poojary mentioned that Rs 2.5 crore has been sanctioned for an ESI hospital in Brahmavar taluk and stressed the need for speedy implementation. Expressing displeasure over the absence of concerned officials at the meeting, he directed that notices be issued seeking an explanation.
On civic issues, the MP directed that work on supplying water to the Konkan Railway be taken up on priority by identifying a suitable water source, with technical guidance from the zilla panchayat's water and sanitation wing. He also highlighted inadequate parking facilities at Indrali railway station, especially during the monsoon, and called for immediate action, including road widening and land acquisition proposals.
Connectivity and Energy Projects
Addressing connectivity concerns, Poojary said BSNL network issues persist in rural areas. Of the 196 towers in the district, 115 have been upgraded to 4G, and the remaining should be upgraded soon. He also stressed the need to install batteries at towers to ensure network availability during power outages. So far, 80 towers have received 46 new batteries.
He directed officials that the piped natural gas work undertaken by Adani be completed by June. On road development, he said nine works under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana have been approved for Kundapur and Byndoor constituencies and should be completed swiftly. National highway projects in the district must also be expedited, along with necessary land acquisition.
Other Directives
He noted slow progress under the PM Kusum-B scheme. Under the Kusum-C scheme, Rs 20 crore has been released for the district. He congratulated students, teachers, parents, and officials on the district recording excellent results in PUC and SSLC examinations this academic year. Top district officials, including DC Swaroopa TK, MLAs, and MLC, were present.
