Karnataka’s Cardiac Crisis: New Lab Shut In Bidar, Cardiologists Missing In Chikkamagaluru | India News
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Karnataka’s healthcare infrastructure appears to be struggling to keep pace with the crowd rushing for cardiac screenings after a surge in heart attacks
The high-tech Cath Lab at BRIMS, a facility intended to be a boon for financially strapped patients, has been gathering dust since its inauguration. (News18)
A surge in heart attack fatalities across Karnataka, particularly in Hassan district, has prompted a rush for cardiac screenings across the state.
However, Karnataka’s healthcare infrastructure appears to be struggling to keep pace, with a brand new, state-of-the-art Cath Lab at the Bidar Institute of Medical Sciences (BRIMS) remaining inexplicably shut for months. The Chikkamagaluru district is also facing a severe shortage of cardiologists, leaving residents anxious.
Bidar’s Locked Lifeline
The high-tech Cath Lab at BRIMS, a facility intended to be a boon for financially strapped patients, has been gathering dust since its inauguration by chief minister Siddaramaiah two-and-a-half months ago. The alarming situation has sparked allegations that the BRIMS management board has succumbed to the influence of private hospitals. Bidar city already hosts five private Cath Labs, where poor patients often struggle to afford the exorbitant costs of treatment.
For the past seven to eight months, BRIMS has been criticised for its sluggishness in appointing specialist doctors and staff for the crucial lab. While 10 individuals, including doctors and staff, were recruited on a contract basis on April 3, reports indicate a reluctance among them to join due to the contractual nature of the work and lower salaries. They are reportedly demanding permanent positions, a plea that BRIMS seems to be ignoring.
“Bidar residents were happy when Siddaramaiah inaugurated the super-speciality hospital with cardiac facility,” said Ravi Kodagi, a local. “They were relieved that they didn’t have to go to Hyderabad for treatment. But we are disappointed that they have locked it for the last 2.5 months. The director of BRIMS says there is no staff. They are taking doctors on contract. If they hire them permanently, doctors will come.”
Locals are now questioning the commitment of BRIMS, the district administration, and elected representatives towards the health of poor patients, urging them to resist private hospital influence and make the Cath Lab operational immediately.
Chikkamagaluru’s Cardiac Vacuum
Adding to the state’s cardiac woes, Chikkamagaluru district currently has no heart specialists at government hospitals, even as heart attack deaths continue to rise across Karnataka. The district’s only previously available cardiologist in a government hospital has reportedly gone on unauthorised leave, leaving a critical void.
Dr Ashwath Babu, District Health Officer (DHO) of Chikkamagaluru, acknowledged the shortage. “We had a cardiologist in a government hospital but he has been absent from work without authorisation. We have informed the government,” he said, adding: “Now transfer counselling is on and we are hopeful that we will get a cardiologist.”
However, Babu noted that there are no sanctioned posts for heart specialists in any taluk hospital across the district.
In Karnataka’s Hassan, 18 people have died in a one-month span between May 28 and June 29. At least five more deaths have been reported between June 30 and July 1, pointing to an alarming trend that includes younger victims.
Harish Upadhya, an Assistant Editor at CNN-News18, reports from Bengaluru. Political reporting is his forte. He also tracks India’s space journey, and is passionate about environmental reporting and RTI investi…Read More
Harish Upadhya, an Assistant Editor at CNN-News18, reports from Bengaluru. Political reporting is his forte. He also tracks India’s space journey, and is passionate about environmental reporting and RTI investi… Read More
- Location :
Karnataka, India, India
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