Hassan: The Community Health Centre at Shravanabelagola was the first such centre to get an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the state which started functioning during Mahamastakabhisheka-2018 to cater to the needs of devotees. But the unit is now in trouble with not enough manpower to keep it functioning.
The ICU had functioned with a cardiologist deputed from Jayadeva Institute of Cardivascular Sciences and did its job helping to save as many as 27 lives of devotees who suffered from heart ailments during the nine-day event at Shravanabelagola.
But currently, the ICU has no staff to attend to patients coming with complaints because the unit needs a physician, an anesthetist and well-trained nurses to attend to the complaints immediately, says Administrative Medical Officer of CMC, Shravanabelagola, Dr Yuvraj.
A physician and well-trained nurses are deputed to the ICU at Shravanabelagola on Saturdays and Sundays but none during weekdays which has made Dr Yuvraj feel insecure since the Mahamastakabhisheka draws devotees till August and doctors have to be ready to attend to emergencies. The task of doctors becomes easier if the ICU is equipped with adequate manpower.
Stressing on the need to have regular staff for the ICU, Dr Yuvraj says the CMC at Shravanabelagola caters to about 75 villages from the surrounding four hoblis and the ICU is a blessing for those with heart ailments so that they get medical attention at Shravanabelagola itself before they are referred elsewhere for further medical treatment.
