THIS HOSPITAL AWAITS ‘TREATMENT’

The district hospital at Madikeri was upgraded by spending crores of rupees. Costly equipments and lab to compete with any other private hospitals were installed.

But to the bad luck of patients who queue up before this hospital, specialists and technicians are absent. The reason, government apathy.

The ortho specialist, in charge of the district surgeons post, Dr.Palekar told this correspondent that the hospital has every thing except sufficient staff, especially the specialists. About fourteen posts of doctors are vacant here jeopardizing the service.

The sixteen doctors who are presently working have to work round the clock, treat the 300 odd inpatients and attend to around four hundred out patients a day. Anesthetist, orthopedic, pathologist, radiologist, ophthalmologist… The list of vacant posts run amok.

This four hundred-bed hospital has only 40 group D workers on duty with 61 posts falling vacant. Apart from this, nine posts of staff nurses and staff shortage in other departments were old tales being pleaded before the government and peoples representatives in vain.

The hospital has five vehicles, including the ambulance with only one driver!

It has become a haven for thieves since the hospital neither has a compound wall nor security guards. These are some of the main problems the government has to look into before people agitate.

RAPE ACCUSED GETS 7 YEARS;

The district and sessions court here has sentenced a rape accused to undergo seven years imprisonment and pay a fine of rupees two thousand fine.

T.R.Subramani o, 35 of Edapare had raped a girl by trespassing into her house, in front of a mentally retarded sister on 18.4.2002.

While the case was going on, the accused allegedly organized to kill the girl’s father as they gave witness statement against him. He is now facing murder charge too.

THE RETURN OF THE WILD TUSKER;

For the residents living in a cluster of villages around Shanivarasanthe, this tuskar is a nightmare. The forest department had successfully shifted this tuskar-creating ruckus to elsewhere a couple of months ago. But to the bad luck of villagers, it has returned again.

A motorcyclist, Madhu had a shock of his life on this 24th, as this tusker stood at the center of the main road and tried to attack him while raiding his motorbike. Leaving the bike on the road Madhu ran for his life. The enraged tusker later trampled the bike into a lump and threw it to a distance. The onlookers say that the scene would remind them of a stunt movie episode. They have appealed the forest department for help.