Karnataka approves ultrasound training for MBBS doctors to strengthen maternal healthcare

In a move aimed at strengthening maternal and child healthcare services in Karnataka, the State government has issued an order granting administrative approval to provide six-month ultrasonography training to in-service MBBS doctors of the Health Department.

The decision follows the shortage of radiologists in several district hospitals, which has affected the delivery of quality antenatal and postnatal services. To address diagnostic gaps, the government has also decided to create 114 new radiologist posts. Currently, there are only 75 sanctioned radiologists in 189 facilities (148 taluk hospitals and 41 community health centres).

The training programme will be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the PC & PNDT Act and the Training Rules, 2014, officials said.

Training centres

A total of 11 hospitals across the State have been identified as training centres. These include K.C. General Hospital and Jayanagar General Hospital in Bengaluru; Lady Goschen Hospital and Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru; Chigateri District Hospital in Davanagere; and district hospitals in Chikkaballapur, Dharwad, Tumakuru, Vijayapura, Ballari, Kolar and Bagalkot, according to the Order. 

The government aims to train 69 MBBS doctors under the guidance of 23 faculty members, maintaining a teacher-student ratio of 1:3. Only in-service MBBS doctors will be eligible for the programme. Doctors who complete the training will be required to provide ultrasonography services exclusively in government hospitals.

To ensure uninterrupted public healthcare services, district health officers have been directed to appoint doctors on a contractual basis in place of those undergoing training.

Rationalisation

The Health Department is working on rationalising deployment of specialists under the Mother and Child Health (MCH) triad — gynaecologists, anaesthetists and paediatricians — across taluk hospitals and community health centres (CHCs).

The move is to ensure that all taluk hospitals function as Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) facilities, capable of handling complicated deliveries, Caesarean sections and newborn emergencies round the clock.

“We are introducing a rotating ‘double triad’ system to make specialists available 24/7. This will prevent unnecessary referrals to tertiary hospitals, where delays often prove fatal,” Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao had said.