KASARGOD:
Kerala today made additional arrangements to issue medical certificates to patients seeking treatment in Mangaluru in Karnataka for diseases other than COVID-19.
A facility issuing certificates already functions near the Thalapady check post in Kerala. Besides this, a Medical Officer will be posted 24/7 at the Manjeswaram Community Health Centre (CHC) to issue the certificates, said Dr A V Ramdas, District Medical Officer (DMO) (Health) of Kasaragod. With state borders being closed due to the imposition of the nation-wide lockdown, Karnataka had denied entry to people from Kasaragod seeking medical aid in Mangaluru, which has now been lifted after the Centre’s intervention.
The issue was resolved on Tuesday with Karnataka agreeing to allow non-COVID-19 patients to cross the border to avail treatment at Mangaluru hospitals. The Karnataka government blocked all 23 roads which connect the state with Kerala. Even the ambulances were not allowed to enter Karnataka.
The reason given was, Kasaragod, the northern most district of Kerala, is the most COVID-19-affected district in the state and allowing traffic even in emergency cases might lead to spread of Covid-19 in border districts of Mangaluru, Kodagu and Mysore. The Supreme Court on Tuesday disposed of Karnataka’s petition challenging the Kerala High Court order on opening the national highway traffic at Kasargod border to provide hospital access in Mangaluru to patients from Kerala.
An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde disposed of the case after solicitor general Tushar Mehta said talks between the chief secretaries of the two states facilitated by the Centre had led to an amicable resolution of the issue.
