Yahya Hallare
Daijiworld media Network - Bhatkal
Bhatkal, May 14: Health minister U T Khadar conducted a surprise midnight raid on Bhatkal government hospital here on Tuesday May 13.
The attender who was shocked to see the minister at an odd hour, tried to wake up the doctors.
After inquiring with the attender, Khadar himself woke up the sleeping duty doctor, it is said. The doctor was dumbfounded when the minister asked him if he was sleeping instead of attending to the patients.
Khadar went through the attendance register and reportedly found wrong entries and proxies for nurses and doctors who were not even present in the hospital.
Noticing that the hospital was dirty, he enquired about the Rs one lac funds that the government sanctioned to the hospital to maintain hygiene. He also went through the accounts regarding spending of Rs 12 lac that was provided by the government for medicines.
The miserable condition of the hospital angered the minister and he told Dr Krishnaji that he would visit the hospital soon to check the attendance and maintenance of the hospital.
He was upset about the locked gates too. He asked the doctors what they would do if patients came at midnight.
ZP member Raheem Sheik who was present on this occasion pointed out many other shortcomins of Bhatkal government hospital. The minister learnt that the hospital authorities charged the poor patients for using ambulance to take them to Kundapur, and that the most needed medicines were not available in the hospital.
U T Khadar refused to accept security from Bhatkal sub-inspector Subanna and Johnson D'Souza who rushed to hospital with local officers. After inspecting the hospital for an hour, Khadar returned to Mangalore, warning the hospital staff about his next visit.