Mangaluru: Under the leadership of the Save Govt Hospital Campaign Committee, Vamanjoor, a protest march will be held on Monday from Tharigudde Junction and proceed to Vamanjoor Junction to demand the fulfilment of various health-related demands.Manoj Vamanjoor, convener of the committee, said the healthcare sector has become commercialised, while govt hospitals are being weakened. People are distressed by the profiteering of private hospitals, unnecessary treatments, and exorbitant bills. Not only the poor and lower-middle class, but even the middle class find themselves helpless when faced with health issues, unable to pay private hospital bills, leading to a pitiable situation, he said.In the Gurupura hobli, primary health centres (PHC) in Kuppepadu, Kompadavu, Ganjimutt, and Vamanjoor, which provided excellent treatment a decade ago, are now weakened due to a lack of basic facilities. They remain closed after 5 pm and on govt holidays. Gurupura hobli comprises 24 villages, including three municipal wards, and has seen a significant increase in population. However, there is no PHC or community hospital as per govt regulations, said Manoj.Based on the population of Gurupura Hobli, the existing Kudupu PHC in Vamanjoor should be upgraded to a 40-bed community hospital to serve the surrounding villages of Malluru, Ulaibettu, Neermarga, and Bondantila. The Malluru-Badriya Nagar and Padu-Bondantila PHC sub-centres should be converted into PHCs, he urged.“People demand upgradation of Wenlock District Hospital as a regional hospital, setting up branches of the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, and Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology in the city. The demand for the immediate establishment of a full-fledged govt medical college in the district is also part of this protest march,” he added.
