Communist Party of India (Marxist) Dakshina Kannada District Secretary Muneer Katipalla has threatened of gheraoing Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader if he does not stop the process of allowing private medical colleges to offer health services at government health centres.In the protest held in front of Community Health Centre in Ullal on Friday, Mr. Katipalla said allowing private medical colleges to offer health services at the government health centres is nothing but allowing private institutions to control functioning of government health centres.“We had threatened the earlier Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao of gheraoing him if he continued with the policy of privatising health services at government health centres. If Mr. Khader does not want to be gheraoed on the issue, he has to stop the process,” Mr. Katipalla said and added that CPI(M) will continue its demonstration against privatisation of health services at government hospitals.Mr. Katipalla said it was sad to see Mr. Khader asking authorities to approach private institutions to meet the need of extra ambulances for PHCs in Dakshina Kannada. Instead of visiting government health centres during night in Bengaluru, Mr. Khader should visit government health centres in Dakshina Kannada during the day, where he will find vacant posts of health personnel and the sorry state of health infrastructure.On the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Ullal, Mr. Katipalla said the Health Minister stated that CHC Ullal was treating about 600 patients every day since the private medical college started offering health services. “But today, the CHC is closed by 4.30 p.m.,” he said.Reacting to this, a district health department official said the OPD wing of the CHC closes at 4.30 p.m. daily. The OPD services will then continue in the Causality section of the CHC, which functions for 24 hours, the official said. Published - June 12, 2026 07:42 pm IST