Bhoomi puja for Jayadeva Hosp may be in July

Hubballi: The state-run Jayadeva Hospital, which has branches in Bengaluru, Mysuru and Kalaburagi, is one of the most reputed government healthcare institutions in the country, with people from across the socio-economic spectrum seeking treatment for cardiological disorders there. For many years now, the people of Bombay Karnataka have been demanding that a branch of Jayadeva Hospital be established in the region so as to prevent their having to travel all the way to Bengaluru or Kalaburagi to seek affordable treatment for cardiological conditions.
Now, after a long wait, their wish is set to be fulfilled.
The Dharwad district administration having identified 9.4 acres adjacent to the Centre for Leprosy and Hospital for Disabled People in Hubballi as the site for the Jayadeva Hospital, the ceremony to lay the foundation stone is expected to be performed in July. In his budget, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai had announced the allocation of Rs 250 crore for the construction of the hospital. However, since the district administration was yet to finalise the site for the hospital, the bhoomi puja was not held sooner.
A team of officials, including Jayadeva Hospital director Dr CN Manjunath, Dharwad deputy commissioner, Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) commissioner and the district health officer, inspected the site in Anand Nagar, and expressed their satisfaction with the same.
Sources said that, currently, most patients in North Karnataka visited either Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) or the SDM Hospital for affordable treatment. “Given that KIMS is currently struggling to cope with the increase in the number of patients visiting the institution, there is a need for a hospital dedicated cardiological treatment ,” said a source.
Dharwad DHO BC Karigoudar confirmed to TOI that the health department had finalised the plot beside the leprosy hospital for the construction of Jayadeva Hospital. “Bhoomi puja will be performed in July by CM Bommai, with other ministers in attendance. The hospital will offer affordable treatment to below poverty line (BPL) card holders, and for those who are enrolled in the government insurance schemes. Noted cardiologists will offer comprehensive treatment to patients. The hospital will be equipped with a state-of-the-art operation theatre, scanning facilities, among others,” he said.