IIJNM :: Investigations_taluk

The missing beds

By Gangadhar S Patil

Bangalore, May 6: Only 36 of the 147 Taluk Level Hospitals (TLH) in Karnataka have 100 beds, contrary to Karnataka Health Department’s claims that all the hospitals have been upgraded, an IIJNM investigation shows.

The website of the Health Department has a listing that says: “Statement showing Talukwise number of Health Institutions & Beds available as on Sept 2007.” As part of the list, the website clearly mentions that all the taluk level hospitals have 100 beds or more.

However, IIJNM investigation shows that most of these TLH still have only 30 to 50 beds and in some cases, even less. For instance, Yellandur in Chitradurga district, Pavagada in Tumkur, Siddlaghatta in Chikkaballapura have only 30 to 50 beds and not 100 as claimed by department.

Taluk hospitals at Nelamangala with 50 beds
Picture by: Gangadhar Patil

An official of the Health and Planning section of the Health Department read out a list of hospitals that were actually 100 beds. According to his list, which we saw, there are only 36 TLHs, which are actually working as 100-bed facilities. Another document with us says that of 147 TLHs, nearly 52 are under construction and 63 TLHs are yet to be taken up for upgrading.

V D Dange, district health officer of Belgaum said “All the 10 taluk hospitals in Belgaum have 100 beds.” But, when it was pointed out to him that the documents with the health and planning section, said otherwise, he said, “they are almost complete and we are just waiting for inauguration.”

Apart from Mr Dange, even Dr Sashidhar Taluk Health Officer (THO), Molakalmuru, Chitradurga district said, presently we have 50 beds but in coming six months it will be upgraded to 100 beds. According to the Department’s website, all these hospitals have been upgraded to 100 beds.

Similarly, THO of Pavagada taluk initially said that the taluk hospital is 100 beds but when IIJNM asked him repeatedly, he agreed that it has only 50 beds.

The government order to upgrade all the TLH hospitals to 100-bed facilities was issued in a phased manner after 2003. By the end of 2007, all the TLHs were brought under the system of 100-bed facility, mentions the website.

The State Health Department followed the divisions of taluks suggested by the Nanjundappa committee report, which was submitted in the year 2002. The report classified all taluks in Karnataka on the basis of their development, as backward, more backward and most backward. The Health Department planned to work on the most backward taluks first, said an engineer with the Health Department.

The Joint Director of Health and Planning Section, Dr. Suresh S.Shapeti, agreed that not all TLHs have 100 beds. But, the story does not end here. The rest of the 111 TLHs have been listed under two categories: Under Construction and Yet to Be Started.

For a year, work on more than 40 hospitals in backward taluks to make them 100 beds- was stalled because the government and the contractors could not come to an understanding over the funds. As a result, people in these areas have been denied better health facilities.