Health Minister B Sreeramulu said that there is no dearth of funds to provide health care facilities in the state.
Speaking to reporters during his visit to the district hospital at Ajjarakadu where he stayed on Friday night, the minister said that improvement of infrastructure facilities is the only purpose of his visit.
He said he is committed to improve and upgrade the district hospital.
Sreeramulu said he will take a delegation from Udupi, including the MLAs, to the chief minister to discuss the issue. Later, it will be taken to the Finance Department and the Cabinet for approval, he added.
He said that government hospitals should be improved as the private hospitals are too expensive for the poor.
The minister said there is a shortage of 1800 doctors. The direct recruitment process will be started to improve the health care facilities, he added.
He said he will also talk to chief minister over setting up of medical college in Udupi. The rarest of the rare diseases will be included in the Arogya Bhagya scheme. he said.
The minister, who arrived at night, inspected the condition of the hospital and visited wards.
When Divyalatha, a staff nurse at Elasooru PHC in Sakleshpur taluk, sought transfer to Udupi to take care of her ailing mother at the hospital, the minister promised to do the needful after obtaining the information on vacancies in the district.
Divyalatha said she has taken leave to take care of her mother.
Later, the minister stayed overnight in the hospital. He had milk and a banana before retiring.
The room where he stayed had an AC and a fan.