After the catastrophic ambulance accident close to the Shiroor toll gate last week, people from Karnataka’s Uttar Kannada have launched an online campaign seeking emergency healthcare services in the district. Four people had been killed after a speeding ambulance, transporting a patient from Honnavar of Uttara Kannada district to a private hospital in Udupi, rammed the Shiroor toll gate on July 20, Wednesday. According to social activist Prashanth Karki, the ambulance was taking a patient from Uttar Kannada because the district lacked a multi-specialty hospital.
With a population of about 14 lakhs, Uttara Kannada has a total land area of 10.25 lakh hectares and 8.28 lakh hectares of forest area. Despite being one of the largest districts in the state, residents are now complaining via Twitter and other social media platforms that Uttara Kannada do not even have an emergency or well-equipped multi-specialty hospital, forcing many to travel to Mangaluru or Manipal for treatment, further endangering the lives of those who need urgent care.
Residents say they are being forced to travel more than 100 km, either to Goa or Udupi, to avail of advanced medical treatments in cases of emergency. While people from the Karwar-Ankola regions usually travel north to Goa, those from the Kumta-Honnavar-Bhatkal regions travel south to private hospitals in Udupi, and those from interior taluks and regions travel to locations that are comparatively more convenient or nearer.
On the evening of Sunday, July 24, hashtags #WeNeedEmergencyHospitalInUttaraKannada and #NoHospitalNoVote trended on Twitter. In most of the tweets, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, and Health Minister K Sudhakar have been tagged. The CM has not reacted to the demand yet.
Meanwhile, Prashanth says that those living in Uttara Kannada have been demanding an emergency hospital for more than 30 years now. “This is not the first time we have taken to social media to share our grievances. But we have only received empty promises from both the Kumaraswamy and BS Yediyurappa governments,” he says, adding that the residents would not stop their protests now until a full-scale action plan in this regard has been formulated and implemented.
Prashanth, along with others from the district, will stage a silent protest in Sirsi district on Tuesday, July 26. Further, he says that many of the district’s residents have initiated a plan to place around two lakh phone calls to PM Modi’s Mann Ki Baat programme, aired on the All India Radio and other government television channels, highlighting the need for an emergency hospital in Uttara Kannada.
A similar campaign run by the district’s residents in 2019 demanding the development of an emergency hospital in the district had drawn the attention of then Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and the state Health Department. Kumaraswamy had even assured them that he was considering their plea. “It has come to my attention that there is a campaign going on for the need for a well-equipped hospital in Uttara Kannada district. In this regard, a report will be submitted by the officials of the health department and necessary action will be taken,” he wrote in a tweet. Sadly, however, no necessary actions were taken in this regard.
The recent Twitter campaign has once again created a buzz surrounding the topic, with many politicians tweeting in favour of the demand. Health Minister Sudhakar tweeted that he had seen the online campaign calling for the establishment of a high-tech trauma centre and multi-specialty hospital in the Uttara Kannada district, adding that he would discuss with Chief Minister Bommai the matter of setting up such facilities at the Karwar Institute of Medical Sciences. “I will also hold a meeting with all the elected representatives of Uttara Kannada regarding the health infrastructure needs of the district, and get an action plan prepared and implemented,” he wrote.
Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also tweeted on Sunday, July 24, in support of the people's online campaign. “I fully support the struggle of the people of Uttara Kannada for a well-equipped emergency treatment system. I urge the Union and state governments to listen to the grievances of the people with an open mind and work towards solving the problem,” he tweeted.
On Monday, July 25, Kumaraswamy also expressed support for the initiative on Twitter. He requested the state government, governed by the BJP, to give the request top priority. Although there has long been a need for such a facility, no action has been taken in this regard by any government so far.
Watch: Ambulance crashes into toll booth in Karnataka (Warning: Visuals may be distressing)