Bengaluru: Karnataka health minister UT Khader said the state govt will prioritise prevention of lifestyle diseases, strengthen food and drug testing, address hospital staff shortages and encourage people to use free public mental health services. With road accidents increasing, the govt is planning to provide a cashless insurance coverage of up to Rs 2.5 lakh and improving response time across districts to 15-20 minutes. Excerpts from an interview with TOI:Private hospitals in Bengaluru are charging up to Rs 1,200 for consultation. Patients complain doctors are still not willing to spend more than 3-5 minutes. Private hospitalization costs average Rs 53,259 in the city, according to a recent report. How do you plan to make healthcare affordable for all?Khader: The govt cannot easily fix uniform rates because hospitals have different cost structures. Such regulation would require stronger central action. However, we will make it mandatory for hospitals to disclose rates. Transparency in consultation and surgery fees will be implemented. We hope these measures will help patients make informed choices.Emergency healthcare in the state needs improvement. What measures are being taken to deal with this?We are trying to improve ambulance response time across districts, targeting arrivals within 15-20 minutes. Govt mulls providing a cashless insurance coverage of up to Rs 2.5 lakh to road accident victims. Any accident victim, including non-locals like truck drivers and travelers, can avail themselves of cashless treatment in both private and govt hospitals in the state under the scheme.What are the major healthcare challenges?Prevention of rising non-communicable diseases will be a top priority for the govt. City hospitals are overcrowded. Addressing hospital manpower shortages remains a significant challenge for the govt. Junk food near schools and on campuses may be restricted or banned. A high-standard food and drug testing laboratory will be established under a PPP model, so enforcement can stand up in court against large companies.
