Bengaluru: In a major push to address the shortage of specialist doctors in rural areas, the state govt has directed every govt and private medical college to adopt one taluk hospital, one Community Health Centre (CHC) and one Primary Health Centre (PHC), according to a Health Department circular issued on Thursday.The initiative, part of the chief minister’s 100-day programme, is a joint effort of the health and family welfare and medical education departments. It aims to deploy specialists, including gynaecologists, anaesthesiologists, paediatricians and orthopaedic surgeons, at taluk-level institutions, reducing patient load at district hospitals while strengthening emergency, surgical and telemedicine services.Under the plan, the health department will sign district-level agreements with medical colleges, appoint nodal officers and establish specialist OPDs with dedicated rooms, diagnostic facilities, operation theatres and support staff. It will also ensure emergency transport through 108 Arogya Kavach, the supply of medicines and equipment, and patient pre-registration through ASHA workers.The medical education department will deploy consultants, senior residents and postgraduate students on rotation, draw up fixed-day service schedules and monitor attendance and services. It will also conduct continuing medical education and skill-training programmes, facilitate telemedicine consultations and undertake research on rural health and disease profiles.District-level MoUs between medical colleges and district health officers will formalise the arrangement. Monthly joint reports will be reviewed by the District Health Monitoring Committee, chaired by the district collector, to assess implementation and address gaps.
