Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar with a child during his visit to the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology in Bengaluru on Saturday. Photo: CMO Karnataka
Bengaluru: The government will set up 200 additional beds at the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology in Bengaluru, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said on Saturday after visiting children undergoing cancer treatment at the hospital on Children’s Day.
He said a request for three acres of land to provide accommodation for mothers and family members who come with the children would be examined and necessary action taken.
Shivakumar visited the wards below the Kapoor building of the hospital’s children’s cancer section, spoke to the children, asked whether they were being looked after properly and given meals, and handed out chocolates and drawing books.
He asked the mother of one child whether the family was getting the benefits of the Gruha Jyothi and Gruha Lakshmi schemes, and directed officials on the spot to change the APL ration card of another child’s family to a BPL card immediately.
The Chief Minister also sat beside mothers and relatives who had come from different parts of the state to look after patients, and asked whether all facilities were being provided and whether anyone was asking for money. “We will build cancer hospitals in your own districts,” he assured them.
“Seeing small children, who should be spending their childhood playing, fighting a deadly disease like cancer moves anyone. Giving such families support and courage along with treatment is the government’s responsibility,” Shivakumar told reporters later.
He said he had focused on the development of Kidwai Hospital earlier when he was Medical Education Minister, and had come on Children’s Day to see the condition of the children. “I do not know what to say, but we must give the children courage. Their future is very important,” he said.
Patients come to Kidwai from other states, including West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, the Chief Minister said. About 3.5 lakh patients visit the hospital every year, an average of about 1,000 a day, and treating so many patients free of cost is special, he said, praising the doctors and staff.
To end the need for everyone to travel to Kidwai in Bengaluru for cancer treatment, a programme has been drawn up to start treatment facilities at several places, including Tumakuru, Mysuru, Ballari, Kalaburagi and Raichur, he said. The scheme will begin soon, he added.
One robotic machine is already working at Kidwai, and the recent Cabinet meeting approved the purchase of another robotic machine and other necessary medical equipment, Shivakumar said.
Earlier TBL coverage of the robotic surgery equipment
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