Mysore/Mysuru: Health Minister Dinesh Gundurao praised the exemplary services of Seth Mohandas Tulsidas (SMT) Maternity Hospital located on JLB Road during his visit on Wednesday.

The Minister was in town to participate in the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission programme at Zilla Panchayat (ZP) Hall. He took the opportunity to inspect the hospital premises and interact with inpatients, post-pregnancy women and their caregivers.

Observing a shortage of staff due to an increase in patients from across the district, the Minister verbally authorised the hospital authorities to recruit additional personnel. He advised doctors and staff to continue delivering excellent service to patients.

After his inspection, the Health Minister commended the services offered at SMT Hospital and confirmed that he had instructed the appointment of additional nurses. Currently, the hospital cares for 120 post-delivery women and the Minister pledged to approve the hiring of a paediatrician, gynaecologist and anaesthetist if the hospital’s capacity is expanded to 250 beds.

Highlighting the rise in deliveries at Government hospitals, Gundurao noted an increase from 800-900 deliveries per month a few months ago to 1,800-2,000 presently, indicating positive development. He assured the provision of necessary facilities to enhance service delivery.

The Minister emphasised the Government’s commitment to providing quality treatment and facilities comparable to private hospitals at no cost across all Government hospitals. He credited the Chief Minister’s focus on healthcare, facilitating increased laboratory tests, specialist doctors and staffing.

Dinesh Gundurao attributed the rise in delivery cases to the new District Hospital’s enhanced basic facilities, enabling 300-400 deliveries monthly. He stressed the Government’s responsibility to ensure fundamental amenities for delivering excellent patient care.

District Health Officer (DHO) Dr. P.C. Kumaraswamy, Health and Family Welfare Department Deputy Director Dr. K.H. Prasad and Dr. Mallika, SMT Hospital Chief Dr. Anuradha & Congress leader H.V. Rajeev were present.