R. Ashok

BANGALORE: Following complaints and also detection of supply of poor quality of food to patients in its hospitals, the Government has decided to reconstitute the local advisory committees in the district and taluk hospitals.

Addressing presspersons here on Tuesday, Minister for Health R. Ashok said the new committee comprising officials, elected representatives and local leaders, would be constituted within two weeks.

The committees would be given financial powers to spend money in times of emergency. The Government had earlier constituted two advisory committees for each hospital — one consisting of doctors and government officials and the other consisting of a cross section of people, he said.

The committee of officials hardly met and paid attention to public grievances.

There was also no coordination between the two committees and for the past three years, hospitals had not utilised users' fund, collected from service users. Every taluk and district hospital in the State had user funds ranging from Rs. 50 lakh to Rs. 3 crore, Mr. Ashok said.

Largescale irregularities had been reported from district hospitals and about 60 per cent of the funds meant for supply of foodstuffs were misused.

A contractor, who was supplying foodgrains to the Mandya District Hospital for the last few years, had been blacklisted and an inquiry had been ordered, he said. During his surprise raids to hospitals, he had found serious lapses in supply of foodgrains and nutritious food items to patients in government hospitals. Strict instructions had been issued to the hospitals concerned to ensure proper supply of meals, bread and milk to the patients. Action would be taken against errant officials and contractors, Mr. Ashok warned.

Mr. Ashok also hailed the Karnataka High Court's partial stay on the ban on the sale of soft drinks in government offices, hospitals and educational institutions. He said the court order had vindicated the Government's stand.

The High Court on Monday partially stayed a notification by the Government prohibiting the distribution and sale of aerated beverages manufactured by PepsiCo India Holdings Ltd. in all places, except educational institutions.

The Government has banned the sale of 12 brands of soft drinks, including those of PepsiCo's and Coca-Cola's, in all government offices, hospitals, educational institutions and temples in the interest of public health after finding that the drinks contained pesticide residues beyond the permissible level. The ban came into effect on August 14.

Mr. Ashok said the Government would respect the High Court's interim verdict. Officials would once again test samples of aerated drinks to tests in reputed laboratories. If the cola giants were found to be erring, notices would be issued to the company concerned, before approaching the High Court.

Mr. Ashok claimed that the State presented its case well as was reflected in the interim order and the soft drink company had failed to convince the High Court. As the High Court had not issued the stay against the ban on the sale of soft drinks in schools and colleges, the Government would strictly implement it.

Bill

To regulate all nursing homes and clinics, he said a Bill would be introduced in the coming session of the Legislature, he said.

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