100 primary health centres will be upgraded to community centres: Karnataka CM

Haveri: Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said the government would upgrade 100 primary health centres (PHC) to community health centres across the state and will set up over 60 primary health centres this year.

Addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone for upgrading Shiggaon taluk hospital to a 250-bed hospital and laying the foundation stones for various development projects worth Rs 125 crore on Sunday, Bommai said the government wanted to set up 12 cancer treatment centres and 437 Namma Clinics in December.

The government has also planned eye check-ups and a scheme to provide spectacles to those who have crossed 60 years.

"At least Rs 5 to 8 lakh is required for treatment of deafness from birth, so we have approved Rs 500 crore in grants for treatment across the state," Bommai said.

The chief minister also said that the government would give preference to the health sector.

"We will lay the foundation stone for Jayadev Hearth Institute at Hubballi worth Rs 360 crore and Belagavi will get the Kidwi Cancer Institute next month. We have already announced the Government Ayurvedic College at Savanur and will lay the foundation stone in the next 15 days," he said.

"Moreover, Haveri city will get a 400-bed super-speciality hospital soon. The government has targeted distributing at least 1 crore Ayushman Bharath health cards across the state this year," he added.

The Shiggaon taluk hospital will have all facilities, including major and minor surgeries with specialists, and it will work as secondary care unit in the future, Bommai said.

Haveri district minister Shivaram Hebbar, MLC SV Sankanur, DC Raghunandan Murthy and others participated in this event.