Mangaluru : Dakshina Kananda Zillla Panchayat Vice-President Satish Kumpala expressed the need for Health Minister U.T. Khader to focus more on improvement of facilities at the Government Wenlock Hospital.

Mr. Kumpala said this after going around the Hospital along with ZP Member Ritesh Shetty on Thursday. His visit comes a day after death of 35-year-old woman from Vamanjoor, on the outskirts of Mangaluru, in the hospital following Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis. She had been admitted on Tuesday by a ZP member as she was found unwell in the the Panchayat premises.

Mr. Kumpala said the hospital was not only serving patients from the district but also those coming from neighboring Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan and parts of Kerala. Mr. Khader should pay attention to raise the hospital to the grade of Regional Hospital, a proposal that has been pending for over several years. Attention should be given to appoint more doctors from the Government. He said the Central Government will provide grants for improvement of this hospital if necessary recommendations are made by the State Government.

Mr. Kumpala said Zilla Panchayat will also provide funds for repair and other developmental activities of the hospital, which will go a long way in inspiring more people take facilities provided at the hospital.