Kasaragod patients deprived of healthcare facilities in Mangaluru, Manipal

Mangaluru: Against a backdrop of both the state and central governments tightening restrictions to enforce the lockdown, those with kidney-related diseases are among those who find themselves stuck in a particularly difficult situation. Across Dakshina Kannada district, there are more than 230 patients who visit Mangaluru to undergo dialysis at the Government Wenlock Hospital, which also offers service to patients from Kasaragod in neighbouring Kerala.
However, with the Wenlock Hospital having been turned into an exclusive facility for Covid-19 infection, those who were undergoing treatment at the hospital were shifted to various other healthcare facilities across Mangaluru. Furthermore, Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister Kota Srinivas Poojary assured all the patients at Wenlock that they would not have to shell out any additional money for treatment at the private institutions. Unfortunately, those afflicted with renal disorders in various parts of the district and Kasaragod are unable to visit Mangaluru owing to the lockdown, and they are growing increasingly worried about being deprived of dialysis for such a long duration.
The chairman of the Kasaragod District Panchayat Development Standing Committee Harshad Vorkady has written to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, seeking his intervention to ensure hassle-free passage of those with renal disorders to Mangaluru.
In his letter to Vijayan, Vorkady has written, “Owing to the lockdown, the Karnataka government has barred entry of vehicles from Kerala. The people of Kasaragod depend on doctors and hospitals in Mangaluru and Manipal, particularly those who need dialysis, in addition to those undergoing treatment for cancer and other serious disorders. These people are suffering greatly owing to the prevailing situation.”
Vorkady confirmed to STOI that he had asked the Kerala CM to communicate the plight of the Kasaragod residents to the Karnataka government, and ensure that they are free to visit hospitals in Mangaluru and Manipal.
Union minister for chemicals and fertilisers and Karnataka MP DV Sadananda Gowda said, “I have spoken to officials in the Dakshina Kannada district administration. They have expressed their helplessness to treat more patients, and requested that those from other states not be allowed to Mangaluru for the time being.”