K'taka Health Dept likely to get enhanced budgetary allocation

Karkala, Karnataka, Feb 26 (UNI) Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister R Ashok today said Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister B S Yediyurappa has responded positively to the Ministry's request to increase the budgetary allocation to four per cent.

Addressing a press conference, the Minister, who was here to lay the foundation stone for several development programmes at the naxalite-infested Idu village, said the budgetary allocation to the health department remained at three per cent, despite the World Health Organisation's suggestion to increase it to six per cent.

Besides more allocations for procuring equipment for PHCs and Taluk hospitals, the Ministry had sought Rs 100 crore for buying medicines and Rs 150 crore for new hospital buildings in the coming budget, he said.

Mr Ashok said the Government had completed the process of appointing 500 doctors and 2,750 paramedical staff at Government hospitals in the district and taluk level and the appointment orders would be issued in a week and a month respectively. The Ministry had sanctioned the filling up of 6,500 more posts by December this year.

He said the Government was spending Rs 43 crore for upgrading 63 taluk level Government Hospitals into 100-bedded hospitals with additional staff strength and buildings. The World Bank had released a grant of Rs 840 crore, to be repayable in 15 years without interest. Under this programme, various activities would be taken up like health insurance scheme for rural people, maintenance of primary health centres, training rural health workers and AIDS awareness programme.

UNI