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Medical colleges, trauma centres to come up in phases in all districts: CM Siddaramaiah
"Every district must have a medical college hospital, a super-speciality hospital, a cancer hospital and a trauma centre," CM said.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday announced that a cancer centre, a trauma centre and a super-speciality hospital will be established in Haveri district, while medical colleges and advanced healthcare facilities will be set up in phases across the remaining districts of Karnataka.
The Chief Minister was speaking after inaugurating the Haveri Institute of Medical Sciences and launching and laying foundation stones for works of various departments, organised by the district administration, Zila Panchayat, the Medical Education Department and the Health and Family Welfare Department.
"To ensure healthcare services at the local level, every district must have a medical college hospital, a super-speciality hospital, a cancer hospital and a trauma centre," Siddaramaiah said, underlining the government’s focus on strengthening public healthcare infrastructure.
Recalling his earlier tenure, he said the Haveri Institute of Medical Sciences had been announced when he was the chief minister earlier, and that as deputy chief minister, he had declared that every district should have a medical college. Karnataka currently has about 71 medical colleges, including 22 government-run institutions, he said, adding that facilities would be expanded in phases in the remaining districts, including Vijayapura.
Stating that the poor largely depend on government hospitals as private healthcare is unaffordable, Siddaramaiah said accessible public health services were essential.
"Our government is inclusive. Irrespective of religion, caste or political affiliation, we view everyone without discrimination and beyond boundaries," he said, noting that guarantee schemes were reaching the poor across communities.
Responding to criticism of the guarantee schemes, the chief minister said all such programmes were implemented in the first year of the government. Though ₹1.12 lakh crore had been spent over two-and-a-half years, the state was not financially bankrupt, he said, adding that about ₹52,000 crore is being spent annually on the schemes.
Refuting misinformation about the state’s finances, Siddaramaiah said several projects had been taken up in Haveri, including a Karnataka Public School building, a tourist guest house, Valmiki Bhavan, a new library and the upgradation of the district hospital from 250 to 500 beds.
Of the nearly ₹500 crore spent on the Haveri medical college, ₹194 crore was provided by the Centre, while over ₹300 crore was borne by the state, he added.
On irrigation, the chief minister stressed that the Mahadayi project and Phase-3 of the Upper Krishna Project must be implemented, proposing a committee under former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai to expedite the process. He said completing the Upper Krishna Project was crucial for utilising the state’s allocated 173 TMC of water.
Emphasising social harmony, Siddaramaiah said inequality could not be eliminated without building a secular and humane society.
Following the path shown by Buddha, Basava, Ambedkar, Gandhi, Kanakadasa and Narayana Guru, the government was working to promote rationality and scientific temper, he said, adding that all efforts would be made to develop Haveri into a model district.
