Davangere
Chigateri District Hospital is the Sanjeevini of Central Karnataka. People from the surrounding districts have come to rely on this hospital. Poor people who come here seeking treatment for burn injuries are not getting treatment here. Thus, the patients are suffering.
The burn unit at the district hospital has been closed. The machinery in the unit is being damaged due to the lockdown. Patients are wandering to private hospitals. The burn unit in the hospital has been locked on the pretext of not having a plastic surgeon. This has led to public outrage. Patients come to this hospital from Davanagere, Vijayanagar, Haveri, and Chitradurga areas. The burn unit, which was inaugurated in 2011, is now in ruins.
Doctors are referring people to private hospitals for serious burn injuries. Relatives of patients are clamoring to open a unit to benefit the poor.
Speaking about this, District Surgeon Nagendrappa said, the number of cases is decreasing. The equipment in the burn department is damaged. The equipment has expired. We have a ten-bed ward, and if there is a severe burn injury, a plastic surgeon is needed. We don’t even have a plastic surgeon. If a patient comes with more than 20 percent injury, we refer them to another hospital. There are not as many burn cases as before.
Protester Avaragere Vasu responded, the burn unit at Chigateri District Hospital has been closed. This is causing a lot of problems for the poor. The government should appoint a plastic surgeon. Since the unit is closed, the poor cannot afford to get treatment in private hospitals. The burn unit should be opened immediately and a plastic surgeon should be appointed, otherwise we will launch a fierce struggle under the leadership of various organizations, he warned.
