Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday directed authorities to approach the National Medical Council with a proposal to make one-year internship for medical students at government hospitals compulsory.
Bommai also ordered district medical officers to be relieved from administrative work at hospitals and to post KAS officers instead.
He issued these directions at a review meeting on the health and medical education departments that he chaired.
Karnataka already has a rule mandating medical graduates to work in rural areas for one year.
During the meeting, Bommai also asked the medical education department to issue orders to open a government medical college at Chitradurga.
According to a release, Bommai directed officials to formulate an integrated nutrition programme for mother and child health. “Greater focus is needed in this regard at taluk and district levels. Get the necessary funds to improve the nutrition level and bring a significant change in this regard within an year," the release quoted Bommai as saying.
Bommai further instructed that new primary health centres should come up only in districts where they are needed. Also, he stressed on the need for dialysis centres to be started under PPP model.
The CM sought to streamline the availability of medicines at government hospitals. Patients should get quality medicines at minimum price in government hospitals, he said, adding that distribution of drugs should be decentralised.
“Government drug outlets should have all the medicines. Stock and account records should be digitised. Quality of the medicines purchased should be confirmed. Medicines should be procured directly from the manufacturers after comparing their price in neighbouring states,” Bommai said.
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