The Karnataka CM recently announced the division of the Health and Medical Education departments, with the latter portfolio going to JC Madhuswamy.
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In light of Karnataka CM B S Yediyurappa reshuffling his cabinet and Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar being divested of the Medical Education portfolio, the miffed minister said that separating Health and Medical Education departments would affect the COVID-19 vaccination drive in the state. "Separating Health and Medical Education ministries could weaken the state's vaccination effort, as 60 per cent of district hospitals are under the latter and the remaining under the former," Sudhakar told reporters a day after the CM on Thursday hived off both departments and allocated medical education to senior cabinet minister J C Madhuswamy. The Chief Minister had earlier merged both the departments in October 2020, and gave the health portfolio to Sudhakar, who has been the Minister for Medical Education since he joined the government in February 2020. "If Health and Medical Education departments are under a single command, the vaccination drive will be effective. I will prevail upon the Chief Minister not to separate the two ministries," asserted Sudhakar, who is trained as a medical doctor. Sudhakar, who defected from the Congress and joined the ruling BJP, was re-elected from the Chikkaballapur assembly segment in the December 2019 by-elections. "Health and Medical Education departments are under one ministry in all state governments across the country except in Karnataka, where it was split for political reasons," reiterated Sudhakar. “As Health and Medical Education departments were separate, coordination suffered at the peak of Covid pandemic in the state,” he added.' Hinting that the second wave of the pandemic may come to India belatedly, Sudhakar said the two departments have to work together to prevent its spread and accelerate the vaccination drive at the same time. "I don't know what he (Yediyurappa) has in his mind. If Health and Medical Education departments don't coordinate, it will be difficult to face when the second wave of the pandemic hits us," said Sudhakar. Though Yediyurappa on Friday reshuffled portfolios of some ministers who resented the departments allocated to them on Thursday, the Medical Education portfolio remains with Madhuswamy. "It's the Chief Minister's domain to decide on portfolios. I can't tell what he should have done. I am not sticking to any portfolio. The two departments need to work together so that citizens get the vaccine," added Sudhakar.
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