The state government had to face embarrassing moments when senior Congress MLA BR Patil on Wednesday joined the opposition in the assembly and criticized the government for shifting doctors from rural community/primary health centers with lower number of births to urban centres.
The issue was raised in the House through a challenge by JD(S) member Sharada Poorya Naryak, who alleged that doctors from a rural community health center in her constituency were shifted to urban centers on the basis that the PHC was reporting less than 30 deliveries a month. She argued that the rural community health center was now as good as if it had closed.
In a discussion, Leader of Opposition R. Ashok said that such a situation was not limited to Ms Nayak’s constituency as doctors were shifted from rural communities / PHCs reporting less than 30 births per month to taluk level hospitals. According to him, this is an attempt to replace the shortage of doctors in urban areas by transferring workers instead of recruiting new workers, which has been difficult for the poor in rural areas. Mr. BR Patil surprised the ruling members by supporting the opposition on this issue.
After widespread concern, UT spokesperson Khader announced that he would allow debate on the issue in the coming days.
Published – 11 March 2026 20:21 IST
