BENGALURU: Increased expenditure on adding manpower and equipping health workers to provide quality primary care was a common demand by doctors in the upcoming state budget.
Dr C N Manjunath, director, Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, said, “Though Karnataka spends on infrastructure, the government also needs to invest in manpower. They need to earmark a portion of the budget funds for the creation of posts be it doctors, nurses or technical staff, attendants, etc. If we keep opening new medical colleges and hospitals but do not have sufficient people to take up the posts, it is of no use.”
Savitha Kuttan, founder and CEO of Omnicuris, a health tech startup, said, “The primary care system should be strengthened in such a way that they are capable of doing the initial assessment, diagnosis and basic management and appropriate referral if need be. The government should facilitate more Continuous Medical Education to upgrade their skills, which can solve the problem.”
From the perspective of mental healthcare, B N Gangadhar, director of National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, said. “Patients often benefit from a longer stay in a non-hospital environment. They need to be in hospital care as they are not well enough to be integrated with their families. In several cases, the families abandon them. The health or Social Welfare Department must take ownership of them as part of the budget.”
“Be it physical or mental health, we need to shift healthcare to the doorstep. Patients travel long distances from districts to reach hospitals such as Victoria, Jayadeva, NIMHANS, Bowring, etc. We can equip our district hospitals and local wellness centres with basic equipment. People need not have to suffer the agony of long-distance travel to seek treatment,” Gangadhar added.
Bhavna S, managing head of Sakra World Hospital, said, “Infrastructure development should be of utmost priority in the budget.” For citizens, healthcare concerns are basic, starting with food, water and clean air. Tara Krishnaswamy, member of Citizens for Bengaluru, said, “Clean air and water needs to be made accessible to all urban citizens, and the health department needs to take ownership of it rather than putting the blame on the Pollution Control Board. Sewage and garbage needs to be managed properly to prevent diseases. Nutrition is also an aspect the health department needs to look into.”