Karnataka health and family welfare department has planned to invest Rs.83 crore under the National Rural Health Mission(NRHM) where it is in the process of finalizing the public private partnerships (PPP) for five infrastructure projects that will help spur the healthcare activities and make the services more efficient in the state. The project is structured under BOOT (Build Own Operate Transfer )will span for a period of five years.
The five projects are for the establishment of MRI centres at the Medical College Hospitals, provide dialysis services at Taluka level hospitals, set up a lab and diagnostic centre at district hospitals, facility management of two government hospitals in Bengaluru and a geriatric clinic cum in-patient wards at district hospitals on corporate social responsibility(CSR) mode, according to officials.
The establishment of MRI centres at Medical Colleges located at Belgaum, Shimoga, Mandya Bidar, Raichur and Hasan will cost Rs.40 crore. It will enhance the service capabilities at these facilities, expand the teaching capabilities, help provide the services to large number of underserved population at the neared possible location. It would also improve the quality medical care penetration in the state. The model could be replicated at other government hospitals. Currently the service charges for MRI is high and makes it unaffordable for the patients below the poverty line. Now these MRI centres will allow the underserved patients the access.
Setting up for dialysis services at taluka level hospitals located at Bijapur, Gulbarga and Raichur at the cost of Rs.18 crore for which the pre feasibility studies were submitted in May by the directorate of health and family welfare. The dialysis service centres will now offer patient at an affordable cost. These patients will not need to travel far to get dialysis every time, said the officials.
The opening up of laboratory and diagnostic centres at the district hospitals in Gulbarga, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada at a cost of Rs.18 crore will help perform tests at the district government hospitals.
The directorate of health and facility welfare has also submitted a pre feasibility report on the setting up of facility management of two government hospitals at the KC General and Jayanagar hospitals in Bengaluru at a cost of Rs.4 crore. The objective of the project is to deliver all non-clinical serviced of the hospital including housekeeping, dietary, ambulance, mechanical laundry among others. It will address the need to improve and develop the hospital infrastructure. It will enable hospital management and medical personnel on focusing on healthcare delivery along. Patients will also get more satisfaction in terms of service quality, clean environment, safety and patient centric attitude of the staff. The model can be replicated in other district hospitals and scaled up to include additional services based on requirements.
In order to address the needs of the vulnerable old patients, the state government is keen to have a dedicated geriatric clinic cum inpatient wards at the district hospitals on CSR mode. The districts identified are Gulbarga, Uttara Kannada and Dakshina Kannada at cost of Rs.3 crore.
The state has made its efforts at the Global Investors Meet held last month in Bengaluru to see that the right partnerships are attracted for these projects, said Dr EV Ramana Reddy, secretary, Karnataka health and family welfare.