The new building of the Kalaburgi unit of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research was decorated with colorful lights before it was inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on December 22, 2024. Photo Credit: The Hindu
Kalburgi
The stage is set for the inauguration of a state-of-the-art building for the Kalaburgi branch of the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research (SJICSR). Built by the Kalyan Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB) at a cost of ₹ 327.17 crore, the 371-bed facility is scheduled to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday (December 22, 2024).
Congress President and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge will inaugurate the Outpatient Department, while Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, District In-Charge Minister Priyank Kharge and Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil will inaugurate the Intensive Care Unit, Operation Theatre, respectively. complex, and catheterization laboratory facilities.
Established in 2016
The foundation stone for setting up a branch of this premier heart institute in Kalaburgi was laid in 2013 under the Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Kalburgi District Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil insisted for an autonomous institute SJICSR unit under his department. Dr. CN Manjunath, the then Director of SJICSR (now Lok Sabha Member from Bengaluru Rural) was also keen to take his institute’s world-class cardiac care services beyond Bengaluru, especially to the underdeveloped Kalyan Karnataka region. Their efforts culminated in the inauguration of a 100-bed facility by Mr. Siddaramaiah on April 23, 2016. The facility was operational for eight years on the third floor of the Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS).
The SJICSR branch at Kalaburgi brought world-class cardiac care to the region, saving countless lives in the Kalyan Karnataka region. In its eight years of operation, the unit treated about 5.75 lakh outpatients, including 18,550 children, and provided in-patient care to 47,500 persons. Procedures included 25,000 angiograms, 13,000 angioplasty, and 300 pacemaker implants. In addition, the unit conducted 3.92 lakh ECGs, 2.14 lakh echocardiograms, and 53,399 X-rays. The numbers themselves speak volumes about the immense need for cardiac facilities in the region.
Extension and new building
Acknowledging the growing demand, civil society organizations such as the Kalyan Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry joined local politicians to push for expansion of the SJICSR branch. Their persistence led to the inclusion of the Janata Dal (Secular) and Congress coalition government in the 2019-20 budget. Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy then announced plans for a 300-bed facility on 7.10 acres of prime land in the heart of the city belonging to the Department of Health and Family Welfare at a cost of ₹ 150 crore funded by KKRDB.
Mr. Kumaraswamy did not allocate any funds from the general budget but said that the Hyderabad Karnataka Region Development Board (now Kalyan Karnataka Region Development Board) would provide the funds. Civil society activists and organizations have criticized this funding arrangement. They argued that as per Article 371 (J) of the Constitution, funds should be provided for such projects from the general budget, not from the KKRDB funds received as special grants. and to combat regional imbalances. The criticism apparently did not sway anyone, including like-minded Congress leaders.
Despite the criticism, progress continued under successive governments. BS Yeddyurappa, who became Chief Minister in July 2019, laid the foundation stone of the new facility on September 17, 2020, when he came to Kalaburagi to hoist the national flag to mark the Kalyan Karnataka Liberation Day celebrations.
Revised plan and modern facilities
Although the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily delayed the project, it gained momentum after the Congress came to power in 2023 and Mr. Siddaramaiah took over as Chief Minister for the second time. Mr. Patil returned as the Minister of Medical Education, and Mr. Priyank resumed office as the Kalaburgi in-charge in the Siddaramaiah cabinet to take the project forward.
To mark the 10th anniversary of the area’s special status under Article 371 (J), the capacity of the facility was expanded to 371 beds, increasing the project cost to ₹ 327.17 crore, of which ₹ 302 crore was funded by KKRDB and the rest by SJICSR. own funds.
The new hospital has state-of-the-art infrastructure including three cath labs, three operation theatres, a hybrid operation theatre, 105 ICU beds, 120 general ward beds, and 24 recovery and post-operative beds. It offers specialized services in cardiology, cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, pediatric cardiology, radiology, 128-slice CT scanning, 1.5 T MRI, ultrasonography, hematopathology, and blood banking. The facility aims to provide world-class cardiac care to the underserved population of the Kalyan Karnataka region.
published – Dec 21, 2024 03:56 pm IST