District civil hospital to be shifted to Belur

Dharwad

The District Civil Hospital located at Fort area will be shifted to a more spacious premises. Plans are afoot to construct new buildings with state-of-the-art facilities on a 20-acre govt land near Belur, 11 km away from city.

The location of the present hospital is proving to be inconvenient for the authorities to take up expansion work and add new structures and facilities as the area comes under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and has been declared a protected area. The ASI has been rejecting proposals for construction of new buildings citing rules.

Popularly known as Civil Hospital, the district government hospital caters to medical needs of people from rural areas and also from neighbouring districts, particularly those who are from economically weaker section.

The hospital witnesses a footfall of over 600 patients in OPD and performs over a dozen of deliveries every day. After the Karnataka Medical College and Research Institute in Hubli, the district civil hospital is biggest government hospital.

The administration is now compelled to look for other locations to shift the hospital and cater to increased demand for treatment facilities.

The district administration has identified a 20-acre land near Belur on the Dharwad-Belagavi road, which is around 11 kms from new central bus stand.

District surgeon Dr Sangappa Gabi said a proposal has been sent to the govt to construct the new hospital building in a 20-acre of govt land in Belur village located on PB Road.

Once we have a new 500-bed hospital premises and buildings with state-of-the-art medical equipment, we can avoid referring patients to KMC-RI. With the establishment of heart care facilities and a cardiology block we can also provide treatment to heart patients in golden hours and save lives, Dr Gabi said.