Report and pics by Divvy Kant Upadhyay
For Daijiworld Media Network - Manglaore

Mangalore, Jul 2: The Infosys Regional Advanced Pediatric Care Centre (Infosys RAPCC), which is the new government pediatric hospital, was handed over to the Government Wenlock Hospital authorities on Monday Jul 2.

Built at a cost of Rs 6 crore, entirely borne by the Infosys foundation, the premises were handed over by the vice-president of Infosys, Narendran Koduvattat to the state government and district authorities represented by the state minister of Medical Education, Dr VS Acharya and minister-in-charge of DK district Nagaraj Shetty.

Also present during the handing over ceremony were MLA Yogish Bhat, DC Maheshwar Rao, Ullal MLA U T Khader, district surgeon and superintendent of Wenlock Hospital DrJ Prabhu Dev, Kasturba Medical College dean, Dr CV Raghuveer and pediatrician Dr Shantharam Baliga.

It were the members of the Mangalore Medical Relief Society and the KMC pediatric staff at Wenlock Hospital who had spearheaded the project that the Infosys Foundation sponsored. The foundation stone for the building was laid by the chairman of the Infosys Foundation, Sudha Murthy on February 17,2006.

The ministers and officials present praised the efforts of Infosys as well as that of Mangalore Medical Relief Society which was represented by senior eminent physicians like Dr KR Shetty and Prof Krishnamurthy along with pediatrician Dr Shantharam Baliga and others.

Senior pediatric Surgeon Late Dr Vivekanand Prabhu whose untimely death last year had left a void was remembered for his pro-active role in the planning and commissioning of this project by his colleagues and members of the Infosys.

Associate feans of KMC, Dr MV Prabhu and Dr U Anand Kini were present at the ceremony along with the head of epartment, Dr Nuthan Kamath and other professors of Department of peadiatrics that would eventually run the hospital once it is functionally commissioned.

The hospital premises now in the custody of the Wenlock Hospital , is expected to begin functioning by November 14 later this year after all the state-of-the-art machinery and medical equipment is installed.

The ministers present informed that around Rs 3 crore has already been allotted by the government for running the hospital and an additional Rs 1.8 crore shall be allotted from the non-planned budget.

All the dignitaries present strongly believed that the project would be a success once it is commissioned in November later this year.

The new hospital has been built successfully but it is now left to be seen if the government authorities can take up the challenge along with the medical fraternity to set a very good and rare example of good and efficient government management.