Karnataka govt recruits 4,000 medical officers

Bengaluru: Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Karnataka government has recruited 4,000 medical officers including 1,750 doctors, Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said on Monday.

The minister said compulsory services in rural areas for MBBS doctors has been implemented and 2,053 doctors have been appointed to various vacant positions in Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education Departments.

In a statement, he said 1,001 medicos have been appointed on a contractual basis in 18 Government medical colleges and hospitals whereas 666 doctors have been appointed to work in ICU at Taluk hospitals who will be reporting to their respective workplaces by this month-end.

He added that 348 doctors have been appointed under the National Health Mission, of which 90 doctors have been posted in Community Health Centres and three in Nephro-urology.

Sudhakar also said that the Karnataka Health Promotion Trust in collaboration with the Association of Public Health Technologies has developed a pilot project for testing tuberculosis patients using Artificial Intelligence.

It will be undertaken in Ballari, Koppal, Chikkaballapura and Belagavi.

Speaking about mucormycosis (black fungus), he said 3,232 people have been affected by the fungal infection so far out of which 387 have recovered and 262 have died.

More than 1,600 have been operated.