Karnataka government has chalked out plans to establish telemedicine units in all government hospitals in the State at a cost of Rs. 120 crore. A scheme would be formulated to ensure that the money collected at different district and taluk hospitals by way of consultation and other fees, would be retained by the respective hospitals for their development. The deputy commissioners and chief executive officers of the Panchyats have been instructed to convene a meeting and form committees to provide facilities and monitor these units.

The project planned by the government to set up the telemedicine units would be equally funded by the Karnataka government and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Narayana Hrudayalaya a well know cardiac care facility headed by Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty.

It would be implemented during the current financial year ending March 2004, Kagodu Thimmappa, minister for health and family welfare, told this newspaper.

The health minister informed that a telemedicine unit has already been set-up at the Kolar Government Hospital on an experimental basis. Specialists in Bangalore would be contacted through telephone and linked to the hospitals via satellite.

The authorities concerned with the State telemedicine project have been instructed to call for tenders for hiring contractors to maintain cleanliness in hospitals and to supply drinking water, said the health minister.

The deputy commissioners have been told to fill up vacancies in the primary health centres and appoint specialists in the taluk hospitals by August 2003.

The health minister also said that the government had opened up blood banks in the district hospital and it proposes to start blood banks in taluk centres too.

The respective hospitals have been asked to utilise their funds for setting up such blood banks, he said.