Udupi: Health Minister Inaugurates hi-end scanning Machine at Kasturba Hospital, Manipal

Bellevision Media Network

Udupi, 14 Jul 2013: The state minister for health and family welfare U T Khader formally inaugurated - 16 Slice Big Bore CT machine at the Shirdi Sai Baba Cancer Centre here on Sunday July 14.

With that, Kasturba Hospital, Manipal became the second hospital in the state to acquire this state-of-the-art facility. The machine configuration is such that it covers a large area in a short duration thereby reducing the scanning time and patient’s anxiety and discomfort as well. The fast scanning it does, helps in performing CT angiography and other special CT procedures.

Later, addressing the gathering at the Dr TMA Pail Hall, minister Khader said the government had chalked out several plans to improve health care. ‘We have a number of plans to improve health care in the state, one of which is to eradicate anemia. Just as we have eradicated polio, we will also ensure that iron deficiency in the children will go. Most of the children have less iron, which they do not realize now. They will only get to know that when they grow up when the problem leads to other problems,’said minister Khader.

 

‘On July 17 the union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad will  launch the programme in Bangalore. Karnataka will be the first to start this scheme. Students will be given iron tablets once a week after their mid-day meal,’ said minister Khader.

 
‘After taking over as health minister, my aim is not to build more hospitals or increase the number of hospitals, but to take preventive measures so that a human being does not become a patient at all. For instance, we need to take preventive steps to check non-communicable diseases like blood pressure, diabetes, hypertension etc. We also have plans to check for cancer symptoms. Anybody should be able to walk in and have a check-up,’ said minister Khader.

‘Ethics should be a very important part of the education. Today, ethics have eroded and every student is in his own world. Their thought for the society is missing as personal interest is above the interest of the society,’ said minister Khader. Citing an example he said, ‘After taking over as the health minister, I have already received about 1,500 letters  requesting transfers and not even one letter for development.  So even as students, they should be informed of their responsibility towards the society,’ said minister Khader.

The minister Khader appreciated Manipal University’s proposal to take his constituency, Ullal in Mangalore, for the Arogya Suraksha scheme. ‘We are happy for any participation and cooperation from private organizations for the benefit of the society. We need to uplift the downtrodden and it can be done with the help of private organizations,’ said minister Khader.

Earlier, Manipal University pro-chancellor Dr H.S. Ballal gave details of some of the schemes for the benefit of staff and society. He spoke about the medicare facilities being provided to the staff of the University and also about the health cards - Manipal Arogya Card and the Manipal Arogya Suraksha Card. The former basically is a discount card where anyone can register irrespective of their status of income and they get discount both as outpatient and inpatient. And the latter is mainly for people below poverty line. ‘It is this scheme which Dr Ramdas M Pai, chancellor of Manipal University would like to introduce in Ullal,’ said Dr Ballal.

Manipal University – head of department of radio diagnosis Professor Dr Rajgopal gave a power point presentation of the 16 Slice Big Bore CT machine at the occasion.

The vice chancellor Dr K.Ramnarayan welcomed the gathering.