Daijiworld Media Network – Puttur
Puttur, Dec 7: A major breakthrough has been achieved in the establishment of the Government Medical College in Puttur. All files concerning the construction of a 300-bed hospital — a prerequisite for the college — have now been formally handed over by the Health Department to the Department of Medical Education.
Legislator Ashok Rai had been pressing for the files to be transferred swiftly, ensuring that bureaucratic delays would not derail the project.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had announced in the last budget that the Puttur Government Hospital would be upgraded to facilitate the medical college.
Representational image
During a public meeting in Puttur on August 20, the CM emphatically stated, “Under no circumstances will we abandon the promise of the Puttur Medical College. No matter the cost, it will be built.”
Until now, the hospital upgrade files remained with the health department, delaying the process of constructing the proposed 300-bed hospital on a 40-acre site in Sediyapu. Legislators had therefore urged the transfer of the files.
In a notification, the secretary of the health and family welfare department confirmed that the files relating to the hospital’s budgetary sanction have been transferred to the Department of Medical Education.
To establish a 300-bed hospital for a medical college, at least 20 acres of land is required. If two separate plots are used, the distance between them cannot exceed 10 km, and each must have a minimum of 10 acres. The current Puttur Taluk Hospital occupies only 5.16 acres, making it impossible to accommodate a 300-bed facility. The new hospital will require Rs 200 crore in funding.
Since the existing hospital remains under the health department, construction there was not feasible. The file transfer ensures that the department of medical education can now proceed with building the new hospital on the 40-acre Sediyapu site. Legislators had repeatedly urged this move, citing legal and procedural requirements.
The current taluk hospital, situated in the heart of Puttur, sees an average of 500 outpatients every day. It accommodates roughly 70 inpatients on average, with numbers occasionally rising to 100 during peak periods, including the monsoon. Limited capacity forces some patients to be admitted to the district Wenlock Hospital.
Each month, the hospital conducts about 90 surgeries and handles around 100 deliveries. With just 5.16 acres, it is impossible to expand the facility to meet the 300-bed requirement.
With the files now in the hands of the department of medical education, the path is clear for the comnstruction of a modern, 300-bed hospital in Sediyapu — a crucial step towards realising Puttur’s long-awaited government medical college.