Udupi MLA sets January 15 deadline for completion of new district hospital

UDUPI: With the Karnataka Legislature’s winter session set to begin in Belagavi on December 8, Udupi MLA Yashpal Suvarna has renewed pressure on the State government to speed up the construction of the new district government hospital at Ajjarakad. The MLA had been assured during the monsoon session that Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao would visit Udupi to review the project and release pending funds, but the visit has not materialised.

Suvarna inspected the construction site on Saturday along with district officials to assess progress. He demanded the immediate release of the pending funds and insisted that the facility must be ready for public use by January 15, 2026. “Despite raising this repeatedly in the Assembly, and even after the Chief Minister’s directions, the commitments given by the Health Minister have not been fulfilled,” he said.

According to officials, nearly 80% of the civil work on the seven-storey, 250-bed facility is complete. The project requires ₹25 crore to clear existing bills and another ₹5 crore to finish the remaining work, pushing the immediate requirement to ₹30 crore. The MLA also noted that equipment, beds and medical instruments would require additional funding.

Suvarna warned that if the hospital is not ready within the given timeframe, a major protest will be launched. He also called for a full-fledged super-specialty hospital in Udupi to reduce dependency on private hospitals and Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru.

He further pressed the government to operationalise the proposed 50-bed critical care unit, fill medical and non-medical posts at the new hospital, and resolve management issues and pending electricity dues at the Koosamma Shambhu Shetty Mother and Child Hospital.