Parking lot to come up at Victoria Hospital

Parking lot to come up at Victoria Hospital

Special Correspondent

Ramachandra Gowda promises to take up the issue with Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa

Visitors’ vehicles spill onto the K.R. Road due to lack of space on hospital premises

Statement comes following request for land by dental college’s alumni association

BANGALORE: A multi-storeyed parking lot will soon come up in the Victoria Hospital complex in the city to relieve the patients and their relatives of the vehicle parking woes they endure whenever they visit the hospital.

Medical Education Minister Ramachandra Gowda made the announcement at the inaugural function of the Government Dental College and Research Institute’s Golden Jubilee celebrations here on Friday.

Victoria Hospital complex apart from the adjoining Vani Vilas Hospital, the Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) and Minto Hospital have a large number of visitors every day.

The vehicles of those visiting these hospitals spill onto the adjoining K.R. Road due to lack of parking space on the hospital premises. “Hence, the Government has decided to construct a multi-storeyed parking complex so that these problems are addressed,” he said.

Mr. Ramachandra Gowda said he would discuss the issue with Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa soon and ensure that the multi-storeyed parking complex is constructed expeditiously.

He was referring to the parking problem in Victoria Hospital complex in the context of request for land by the Government Dental College and Research Institute’s Alumni Association. “Land may not be available adjacent to the institute. If it is available, the Government will certainly do the needful,” he said and added that setting up of the alumni association’s building on the same premises could lead to congestion and parking problems.

However, Mr. Ramachandra Gowda said he learnt that the institute did not have a hostel of its own to accommodate its students, who are making do with Government Medical College Students’ Hostel. “The Government will consider extending support to the institute to establish its own hostel as a Golden Jubilee year gesture,” he said.

Though Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa was scheduled to inaugurate the institute’s Golden Jubilee celebrations, Mr. Ramachandra Gowda said the Chief Minister, who was away from the city campaigning for the party candidates contesting the by-polls, was busy clearing the pending files. However, Mr. Ramachandra Gowda read a message from the Chief Minister .

Earlier, H.N. Ananth Kumar, MP representing Bangalore South, called upon the dental professionals to launch a campaign to create awareness on dental health among the rural masses and the poor to make the Golden Jubilee more meaningful.

Though campaigns are carried out against AIDS, cancer and other ailments, campaigns to create dental awareness had not been carried out on the same scale, he said.

Mr. Ananth Kumar even called upon the State Government to hold a roundtable to promote Bangalore as a health hub by inviting various stakeholders.

Just like Bangalore has become a hub for IT and BT, besides aerospace industry, the city had the potential to emerge as a health hub in view of the quality medical treatment given to foreign patients at an affordable cost.

Vice-Chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences S. Ramananda Shetty declared open a scientific session organised as part of the celebrations.