K'taka to recruit 500 medical officers

Gulbarga, Apr 2 (UNI) The Karnataka Government has decided to recruit 500 medical officers in the next two months to fill vacancies in district hospitals and primary health centres, Health and Family Welfare Minister R Ashok said today.

Talking to newspersons here after visiting the viral-infected Shahapur and Jewargi taluks in the district and neighbouring Bidar, he said there was a shortage of 625 medical officers in many hospitals in the State and the Finance department had given its approval to recruit 500 medical officers.

Mr Ashok said that to overcome shortage of nurses, the Government had decided to amend the rules to enable recruitment of graduates from private nursing schools. They would be appointed on a contract basis with a condition to serve in rural areas for at least two years. The Cabinet would take a decision soon on continuation of private participation in functioning of primary health centres.

Expressing concern over the outbreak of Chickengunya and leptospirosis in the district, he said all precautions have been taken to tackle it and Rs 14.50 lakh released to the affected districts to procure equipment and medicines.

The Minister said that while reviewing the functioning of Health and Family Welfare department offices, he found that there was lack of coordination among officials in handling the situation.

District Health Officer Panduranga Poojary presented a detailed report of leptospirosis and Chickengunya at several villages in Gulbarga and Bidar districts and said people of the area were under the grip of fear following the outbreak of the diseases. A detailed schedule of five rounds of fogging had been prepared and 28 new fogging machines purchased for the purpose.

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