After almost a year’s wait, the State Health department, under the “National Programme for Healthcare for the Elderly” will soon be coming up with geriatric wards at the five district hospitals in the state.
“The infrastructure is almost ready; the appointment process of a rehabilitation worker will start in the coming week though we are still to get the general physician. Once this is done the unit will be functional,” said Dr Venkatesh R.J., state programme officer, Non-communicable Diseases. The project was initially sanctioned in August 2011 for Kolar, Shimoga, Tumkur, Chikamagalur and Udupi district hospitals.
According to the project scheme, 10-bedded geriatric wards were to come up in these five district hospitals, but it had failed to take off. When asked about the reason for the delay, Dr Venkatesh said: “Getting rehabilitation workers as per the required qualifications of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) was the biggest problem.” As per the request of the Karnataka Health department, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare later made changes in the qualification required for rehabilitation workers for the entire country. Instead of a two-year certificate course in multi rehabilitation work, a one-year certificate course is needed now. “In Karnataka there is only one recognised private Institute which provides one-year certificate courses so it was difficult to get candidates. After the change we have got three applicants as of now, in the coming week we will be conducting interviews and sorting out the candidate" he added. Every geriatric ward will be equipped with 10 beds, a staff nurse, a counsellor, a physiotherapist and a general physician. This apart, the rehabilitation worker will be mainly working from the taluks.
Speaking regarding the functioning of the unit, Dr Venkatesh said: “The rehabilitation worker, once appointed, will have to go to villages and find old people who are bed-ridden. They will have to find out their health issues, provide them physiotherapy if needed and if their condition is serious then transfer them to the geriatric ward at the hospital.