By Manjunath K.Shresthi
youtube.com/@theflagpost
September 04, 2025
The discussion on the need for medical services in Uttara Kannada UK district in northwest Karnataka bordering the state of Goa, took a completely different turn. The Haliyal-Joida- Dandeli assembly constituency is represented by senior Congress leader RV Deshpande, who’s been elected for a record number of nine times (09) from there.
Two days ago, during RV Deshpande’s visit to Joida, a lady journalist, questioned him about the lack of quality medical services in Joida? When “the MLA in zest or for reasons best known to him, & his highly objectionable reply has now taken a controversial turn”. Along with the different organisations, the BJP sensing a political opportunity is trying to fish in the troubled waters to its own advantage.
In his long career spanning four plus decades, RV Deshpande, has lost only once. Sunil Hegde, once won the seat when he contested on the JD(S) ticket, and he’s now in the BJP. RV Deshpande the senior Congress MLA, is known to carefully measure his words. But in a rare slip of his tongue, he has made a statement which is now trending & making national headlines.
But the larger public is unaware of the problems plaguing Uttara Kannada (UK) district. They must remember that it lacks a good hospital in the geographically large district. It has five coastal taluks north to south, starting from: Karwar, Ankola, Kumta, Honnavar and Bhatkal. The interior taluks are: Joida, Dandeli, Haliyal, Yellapur, Mundgod, Sirsi and Siddapur. Majali in Karwar taluk shares land border with Goa near Polem checkpost on NH 66. Anmod checkpost in the large Joida taluk, shares border with Goa. One can travel via the Ramnagar intersection (in Karnataka) on NH4A to reach Goa via Molem.
The people from areas in north UK district, prefer going to Goa for their medical treatment. Those of them in the southern coastal taluks (read in this order north to south Kumta/Honnavar/Bhatkal) travel to Udupi, Mangalore side for quality medical services. And those in the interior taluks of: Joida, Dandeli, Haliyal, Yellapur, Mundgod, Sirsi and Siddapur travel to Hubli and Shivamogga side.
The Uttara Kannada (UK) district, is strategically located. It has its share of political heavy weights from the two major political parties in the BJP and the Congress. In spite of the ruling party’s earmarking and allocating budgets for the same; till date it has still not got a noteworthy multi-specialty hospital.
The public has a genuine demand for a quality medical center, but it’s caught in politics and there’s none to seriously pursue it. The people in UK district have long been suffering, and their protests have continuously fallen on deaf ears.
During medical emergencies, time is a precious commodity and they have to travel long distances in ambulances or by private modes of transport. The journey can become burdensome for all involved. And in some serious cases, it may become their final journey on the highway of death. It’s a race against time for the near and dear ones of the patient to reach a multi-specialty centre during the golden hour. And a long distance travel for an ailing patient/trauma victim on borrowed time, is a remedy worse than the disease.
