‘Need of hour is to strengthen health infra

Rithu Dravid | NT

Bengaluru: The State Budget 2023 has announced certain specific measures that prioritise health services by extending mental health programmes and initiatives to fight anaemia.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced several key provisions aimed at improving healthcare and infrastructure in the budget. Among the announcements the government has proposed extension of free dialysis services up to one lakh cycles and upgrade community health centres at seven taluk headquarters into 100- bedded Taluk hospitals.

Taking note of this Dr H Sudarshan Ballal, nephrologist and chairman at Manipal Hospitals, said, “There are many features in the budget that would have a positive role in keeping all citizens healthy. Of these, kidney disease is a huge problem and the treatment of dialysis is beyond the reach of the common man. Hence, increasing the free dialysis cycles to one lakh is a great boon for these patients as long as the quality of dialysis is maintained. Also, measures to treat anaemia and improve the nutrition of the children are initiatives that are urgently needed in a developing country like ours”.

Further, the budget also considered the establishment of critical care blocks, and taluk laboratories in all districts and state-level referral labs for providing laboratory services locally. As such, strengthening of many taluka hospitals would benefit our population immensely.

According to Dr CN Manjunath, director at Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research (SJICSR), “We have many medical colleges and super specialty hospitals and district hospitals. The need of the hour is to strengthen the existing health infrastructure with more human resources or manpower to improve the functionality and critical care management at the taluk and district hospitals. Following the hub and spoke model in the healthcare system will strengthen it.

The tertiary care hospitals in bigger cities should be connected with taluk hospitals, which will help people have better access to medical care”. The government also pledged to establish a model hospital on par with AIIMS in Raichur and a super specialty hospital in Kumta, Uttara Karnataka.

In addition the government has also allocated Rs 146 crore for the setup of the first public hospital in the country dedicated to organ transplants at Nimhans. The Budget has allocated Rs 100 crore for eradication of anaemia under the Arogya Pushti Yogane.

Other health related initiatives include digitalisation of health services and health records of patients, screening camps to detect cancer with an allocation of Rs 12 crore under ‘Jeevasudhe’ scheme. The Government has also proposed the construction of ‘She Toilets’ at commercial complexes and market spaces at a cost of Rs 50 crore.

The budget has granted Rs 12.5 crore for free transportation facilities for mothers and their neo natal children under the ‘Nagu Magu’ Yojane grant. The government has also established a fully automated and centralised blood bank management system in the capital city