The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : One medical camp leads to another

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jul 29, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

One medical camp leads to another

S. Rajendran

A file photo of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy undergoing health check-up in Vidhana Soudha.

Bangalore: How health conscious are our legislators and Ministers? Well, rather actually, if one were to judge by the manner in which they flocked at a “five star medical camp” organised at the Vidhana Soudha over the last five days.

If the state-of-the-art gym opened at the Legislators Home sometime ago was aimed at enabling the legislators turn exercise-conscious, the health camp was intended to drive home the need for a better upkeep of health of the elected representatives.

At the health camp on day one, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa were one of the first to submit themselves for a total health check-up. Thereafter came the legislators who made a beeline, following whom were family members and their of personal assistants.

The health camp was organised virtually at no cost to the Government. Nearly 25 leading hospitals and super-specialists not merely offered free service but also provided the medicines. And when they ran out of medicines, it was purchased from the market and supplied to the Ministers and the legislators free of cost, at their doorstep.

Overjoyed

Health Minister R. Ashok, overjoyed by the success of the health camp, told The Hindu that plans were afoot to have more such health camps for common people. While the entry to the five-star camp was restricted to Ministers, legisla tors and their family members apart from the media on the first three days, officials were permitted entry on the fourth day and all employees were permitted a free check-up on the last day.

Mr. Ashok said the Government would now organise a free camp at Malleswaram and another at Banashankari. Entry would be open to all and preparations would be made to attend to at least 30,000 people in each camp. Further, health camps would also be organised at the district level and with the cooperation of the legislators, even at the taluk level.

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