A protest was held outside the Puttur administrative complex on Thursday against the proposed relocation of the taluk government hospital, with organisers demanding that it remain at its existing site and receive improved facilities. The Puttur taluk committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) also sought branches of Kidwai Hospital and Jayadeva Hospital in the town.
The protest focused on the condition and availability of healthcare services in Puttur taluk. The organisers said the government hospital should be developed as a fully equipped facility at its present location in the town area, rather than being shifted elsewhere.
Speaking at the demonstration, CPM leader and advocate B.M. Bhat alleged that residents of the taluk lacked access to specialist doctors, medicines and other facilities. He questioned how governments could claim to be concerned about public health when they had not provided adequate healthcare services to the taluk.
Bhat also criticised the Union government over what he described as a lack of trust in citizens and said governments that did not prioritise public health would be unable to meet basic needs or provide essential services. These statements were made during the protest and represented the position of the organisers.
P.K. Satheeshan, secretary of the CPM Puttur taluk committee and an advocate, who inaugurated the protest, demanded that the government hospital located in the town area be upgraded into a facility with adequate services. The protesters also called for the establishment of branches of Kidwai Hospital and Jayadeva Hospital in Puttur.
Representatives of workers’ organisations and the midday-meal employees’ association took part in the demonstration. Those listed among the participants included Eshwari L. Padmunja, Damodara Hirebandada, Krishna Nidpalli, Chidananda, Sundar Golitthadi, and Ranjitha and Latha of the midday-meal employees’ association.
After the protest, a memorandum addressed to the government was submitted through Puttur tahsildar S.B. Koodalagi. The memorandum sought retention of the hospital at its current location, its conversion into a better-equipped facility, and the opening of the two specialised hospital branches in Puttur.
