UDUPI: Udupi zilla panchayat at its 22nd general meeting on Wednesday decided it was in best interest of patients to temporarily shift the district hospital to the taluk hospital at Brahmawar. This follows plans to upgrade the present 120-bedded district hospital here to a 250-bedded facility at an estimated cost of Rs 115 crore. With the government giving sanction for the upgradation plan, work on the project is expected to get underway from February 2021.
Udupi MLA K Raghupathy Bhat and members opined that patients will be inconvenienced once the up gradation work starts and it will be better if temporary arrangements are made for their treatment at the interim. There is also a need to shift the existing equipment installed at the district hospital as well, the MLA said. Dinakar Babu, president said a decision will be taken once stock of facilities at the taluk hospital in Brahmawar is taken.
Dr Naveen Bhat Y, chief executive officer said the facilities, especially bed capacity at the taluk hospital may not be suited for a shift of this nature. “A final decision will be taken at a meeting that the deputy commissioner G Jagadeesha will chair on Thursday,” Dr Bhat said, adding the issue of shifting the hospital will be prime on the agenda. The meeting has taken note of opinions expressed by the elected representatives, Dr Bhat added.
Members Shankar Poojary and Babu Shetty urged the president to investigate the issue of irregularities in the distribution of pulses and cereals under Akshara Dasoha scheme in Baindoor during the lockdown. Documents given by department concerned and duties given to teachers for this purpose too leave room for doubts, they contended. The CEO directed the officials concerned to investigate and submit a report on the issue within 10-days.
The members also decided to approach the Lokayukta regarding what they termed was major irregularity in construction of a road under Kokkarne gram panchayat limits at Kotambailu near the Varahi irrigation project area. Contending that the road work executed was of inferior quality and Rs 2 crore had been paid to the agency concerned, the members decided to appraise the Lokayukta about the shortcomings through a letter.