Karnataka government hospitals to get better equipments

Only three government hospitals in the country have the accreditation of the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH), a mark of the standard healthcare. The good news, however, is that 10 government hospitals in the state could soon get NABH accreditation.

S Selva Kumar, mission director, NRHM, and directorate of health and family welfare services, government of Karnataka, revealed this at a conference organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the department of health and family welfare.

“The 10 hospitals opting for NABH accreditation will include district hospitals of Gulbarga, Kolar, Haveri, Uttara Kannada, Chikkmagalur, Udupi and KC General Hospital and Jayanagar General Hospital from the city. Two-hundred and five primary health centres have also opted for accreditation from ISO,” said Selva Kumar.

Work has started on the upgradation of these hospitals on a PPP model. About Rs30 crore has been allotted for the purpose. “To bridge the gap between private super-specialty hospitals and their government counterparts, private hospitals have come forth in advising government hospitals on areas that require improvement, and in training their staff,” he said.

Mass healthcare facilities are grossly lacking in India; the world average is 33 hospital beds per 10,000 of population; in India, there are only nine hospital beds for 10,000 people, on average. In total, the country has 14 lakh hospital beds, and these are largely concentrated in urban centres.

Rajen Padukone, CEO, Manipal Health Systems, suggests that the government’s role should shift from provider of healthcare to financier.