HUBBALLI: Hubballi is all set to get the much-needed health infrastructure in North Karnataka after the central government has given nod to establish All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) recently.
The politicians and organisations in Dharwad have been demanding for a long to set up the premier institute in the district. This apart the state government has also sanctioned the regional centre of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research Centre for Hubballi which will boost the medical infrastructure of twin cities.
Located in the central part of the North Karnataka region, hospitals form Hubballi including KIMS and SDM get patients from not only neighbouring districts but also from Koppal, Raichur, and Ballari districts too. As the number of patients are increasing at the government-owned KIMS hospital, there is a demand to set up specialised hospital here.
The state government has already announced the setting up of a regional centre of the Jayadeva Institute at the cost of Rs 250 crores for which 10 acres of land have been identified. The AIIMS will be coming up in the 200 acres of land area which has been already approved by the government. The central team also visited Hubballi to inspect the land.
The KIMS hospital gets around 1,500 patients every day from around 10 districts. Though there are 2,100 beds for the in-patients, there is a demand to increase beds and facilities in the hospital. Poor and middle-class people from many districts are benefited from the hospital, therefore it is called the lifeline of North Karnataka.
Dr M C Sindhur, a physician from Hubballi said that by setting up such institutes, Hubballi will become a medical hub and the cost of treatment will come down for the patients compared to Bengaluru. "The patients need not visit metro cities for advanced treatments. Higher-end treatment at an affordable cost will help people from north Karnataka after the institutes are set up. The institute should be service-oriented institutes, not just big infrastructure," he said.
Noted gastroenterologist from Hubballi Dr Sanjeev Chatni said that the north Karnataka region does not have premier institutes to treat people. "Institutes such as AIIMS and Jayadeva will definitely benefit patients and improve medical infrastructure here. Advanced machinery and advanced treatment will be provided to the patients at an affordable cost," he said.