Karnataka appoints 1,763 doctors to strengthen patient care and early treatment access

Bengaluru, June 9, 2021:

In an effort to ease the pressure at the government healthcare facilities, the Karnataka government has recruited 1,763 doctors to strengthen patient care and early treatment access. This is at a time when the state is reporting high Covid spread.

The perception about government hospitals has to be changed. This recruitment is historic in terms of number of doctors hired at a faster pace. We expect our newly appointed doctors to work with dedication to make healthcare services at government hospitals world class and strive hard to change people's outlook about government medical centres, said Karnataka health and medical education minister Dr K Sudhakar.

This is the biggest recruitment drive taken up by the government and it is also the  first time that the state’s department of health and family welfare has recruited doctors directly as Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) was handling the recruitment process earlier. In addition, it is also one of the quickest hiring drives by the government. This large recruitment process was completed in a record time of 6 months, said Dr Sudhakar in his virtual interaction.

So long, government hospitals were being looked down upon by many which is not without a reason. The newly appointed medical professionals need to bring in fresh enthusiasm, energy, and attitude to the environment of government hospitals. The system can be changed and government hospitals can become world class, but requires commitment and determination, he pointed out.

Moreover, this can fructify if doctors change their mindset to become patient-centric, ensure punctuality without being casual about their duty hours and focus on quality of treatment as the government hospitals have top quality medical infrastructure. Further, attention needs to be paid on the upkeep of hospitals and maintain honesty in practices. There are many doctors from government hospitals allegedly working in private clinics and hospitals. If the newly appointed doctors avoid all these malpractices, government hospitals can be on par with the private facilities, said Dr Sudhakar.

Most of the government hospitals have sprawling campuses in prime locations in the cities and towns, but their maintenance is abysmal. There is a need to change that trend. We need to make our service standards match private sector hospitals which is the only way to attract the middle-upper-class patients to opt for government hospitals over private hospitals for healthcare needs, he noted.

Currently, patients accessing government hospitals to seek treatment are from the lower strata. The purpose of government hospitals is to ensure that the poor and marginalized do not incur out-of-pocket expenditure to avail healthcare services. Therefore doctors need to work as bridge between government and people to fulfill this purpose, he said.

Encouraging the doctors to serve in rural areas, Dr Sudhakar also said that doctors have an important role to play in removing vaccine hesitancy. Saluting the doctors who sacrificed their lives battling Covid and calling them martyrs, minister requested the doctors to take care of their health even as they serve others.

Jawaid Akhtar, ACS Health and KV Trilokchandra, commissioner of health and family welfare and other senior officers were present in the virtual meeting. Pharmabiz