Udupi: Following complaints regarding poor maintenance at the Koosamma Shambhu Shetty Haji Abdulla Mother and Child Govt Hospital, MLA Yashpal Suvarna paid a visit to the hospital on Wednesday and conducted an inspection.During the visit, a relative of a patient brought the hospital’s poor condition to the MLA’s attention in the presence of officials. The complainant alleged that the hospital was plagued by rats, cockroaches and mosquitoes, raising fears of disease outbreaks. They urged the MLA to intervene and address the issue.The MLA instructed officials to take immediate action, stating that it was the department’s responsibility to ensure a hygienic and healthy environment within the hospital, and that negligence in this regard would not be tolerated.MLA Suvarna said there had been several complaints from the public regarding inadequate maintenance of the hospital, causing inconvenience to patients and their families. He said that a team of expert engineers would be brought in to prepare a blueprint for modifying the building’s design and improving its functionality.We will submit a proposal to the govt, seeking a comprehensive overhaul of the hospital, including the provision of necessary equipment, infrastructure and additional staff. The hospital was constructed using advanced technology, making its maintenance challenging for the govt, the MLA said.The MLA said that the hospital’s problems had been brought to the govt’s attention on several occasions, and that he would once again meet the new health minister and the department’s principal secretary to seek a permanent solution to the issuesDistrict surgeon Dr H Ashok said that repair works have already commenced, so that there is no inconvenience during the monsoon.It may be recalled that the state govt notified taking over the Mother and Child Hospital in April, 2022. It was in Oct 2016 that the govt asked BRS Health Institute to construct a 200-bed mother and child hospital. The Institute was granted a 30 year lease to run the hospital. The new mother and child hospital began operations in Jan 2018. Within a few weeks of operations, problems began with employees going on a strike due to non-payment of wages.
