The Karnataka Government will set up a branch of Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology (KMIO) in Belagavi to help patients in north Karnataka get quality treatment at affordable rates, and to reduce the burden on the Kidwai hospital in Bengaluru.
The estimated cost of the hospital is around ₹130 crore. Acting on the directions of the Chief Minister, the district administration has identified land for the hospital in the premises of the government hospital in Vadagaon. The new Kidwai institute is likely to come up on the plot besides the 10-bed hospital built by the Smart City Mission near Jail Shala compound.
MLA Abhay Patil said establishment of the hospital would be speeded up since there is no need to look for land. “The CM told the Deputy Commissioner to look for land and revenue officials began searching for vacant land. I suggested that there is enough space in the old government hospital in Vadagaon, and that the institute could come up there. The government has accepted my suggestion. Work on the building will start soon,’’ he said.
KMIO, an autonomous institute run by the Karnataka Government, is a Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) that is recognised as an exclusive tertiary cancer care center-cum-academic and research institute. KMIO was accorded RCC status on November 1, 1980 by Government of India. The institute is a member of Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and recognised by the WHO. The Indian Council of Medical Research has recognised this referral Institution as a research organisation.
The hospital bears the name of noted freedom fighter Rafi Ahmed Kidwai. It was started after the government donated 20 acres of land in Bengaluru and ₹1 lakh for purchase of equipment.
