Mangalore: K R Keerti – Girl Who Will Become Permanent Part of City History
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Apr 16: K R Keerti, a girl born in a rich family from Andhra Pradesh, may be a stranger to the city and its residents. She made her exit from the world before she could bloom and go through life’s experiences. Her unexpected death shocked her parents and other members of her family, who loved Keerti from the depths of their hearts.
Keerti is about to be embedded permanently in the history of the city, and the people of the district and nearby places will ever remain grateful to her as a well-equipped and modern hospital building will come up as part of Lady Goschen Hospital in the city, in her name. Chief Minister, B S Yeddyurappa, will be laying the foundation stone for this building on Saturday April 16.
Keerti was born as the only daughter of an entrepreneur from Andhra Pradesh, K R Raghava Naidu. The only other offspring Naidu has is a son. Naidu had nurtured fond dreams for his beloved daughter. But, fate had something else in store for her. She lost her life to a disease, for which no proper treatment was available, although the family spent heavily in an effort to save her.
Her departure made a permanent mark in Naidu’s heart. Whenever he thought of not being able to save his darling daughter, the thought of doing something in Keerti’s name, towards enabling the poor people to get treatment for their ailments at affordable cost, came to his mind. He was searching for ways and means to realize this dream. At this juncture, he came in contact with MLA and deputy speaker of Karnataka assembly, Yogish Bhat. Naidu laid bare his mind before Bhat, and Bhat told him about his ardent desire to develop Lady Goschen Hospital, where poor patients from eight districts including the coastal districts, apart from Chikmagalur, Shimoga, and Kasargod and Kannur districts of Kerala are being served, into an ideal health centre. The proposal to build a modern hospital in the name of Keerti got roots in due course. The government gave its nod for the proposal, and the donors want to open the new building for patients within a year from now.
Lady Goschen Hospital, which is 162 years old, has a sprawling 4.58 acres of land in its possession. It serves up to 75,000 patients per year as inpatients, and 1,30,000 to 1,50,000 people as outpatients. Because of paucity of space and staff shortage, on an average, over a hundred patients are accommodated in the hospital veranda. At present, the hospital has 260 beds, and the same are planned to be increased to 500.
K R Keerti was born in the distant Andhra Pradesh. She never visited the city. Perhaps, she might not have even heard of Mangalore. But, she will become a leading light for thousands of patients, who have no one to care for. The poor patients from coastal Karnataka and surrounding areas will remain ever grateful to her. Let us hope, at a time when Keerti is about to engrave her name permanently in the history of the city posthumously, that this generous act will inspire many others to follow in the footsteps of her father, and provide the poor patients a hope to live on, and a place to get succour, and relief from their ailments.