BENGALURU: After a gap of two years, the Charaka Superspeciality Hospital, now affiliated to the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute (ABVMCRI) is expected to see the light of day in the next 1-2 months.
The hospital is expected to cater to several patients from lower socio-economic background seeking medical help at the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital, also affiliated to ABVMCRI, who end up getting referred to other speciality hospitals like Jayadeva, NIMHANS or the Institute of Nephrology.
Charaka Hospital started as a 130-bed hospital dedicated for Covid, during the pandemic, however, it had to be shut within a few months due to shortage of staff. It has not been functional ever since. Dr Manoj Kumar HV, director-cum-dean, ABVMCRI, said that the hospital will cater to the following four specialities - neurosurgery, cardiology, nephrology and plastic surgery.
The proposal has been approved with a budget of Rs 22 crores, recruiting around 280 employees including doctors, nurses, technicians and group D employees. With the non-availability of super speciality doctors, around 5 per cent of patients are referred to other hospitals, said Dr HM Srikanth, coordinating officer. A general physician at Bowring Hospital explained that 5-6 patients who visit OPD every day suffer from liver damage.
Most of them are treated by the physician while people who need further intervention are referred to the Department of Gastroenterology Sciences and Organ Transplant at Victoria Hospital. Though it has taken two years, the hospital is expected to turn out to be a boon for Shivajinagar and nearby constituencies.