Minto hospital turns 125

Times News Network Bengaluru: The iconic Minto Ophthalmic Hospital turned 125 on Tuesday. It started as an eye dispensary on November 9, 1896 during the British Raj in Chickpet with Dr SV Ramaswamy Iyengar as its medical officer. It received nine outpatients on the first day. The present facility’s foundation stone was laid by the Mysore Maharaja in December 1910 and named after then Viceroy, the Earl of Minto.The hospital was inaugurated in 1913 and got Regional Institute of Ophthalmology status in 1981. The 300-bed facility, which treated 90,000 patients every year, witnessed a peak in 2018-19, when the total number of patients crossed 1 lakh. “Every year, we perform 10,000 surgeries, including 8,000 cataract and 2,000 complex procedures,” said Dr BL Sujatha Rathod, director. Taking part in the celebrations on Tuesday, medical education minister K Sudhakar said there’s a need to spread awareness on eye donation. He also appreciated Minto staff’s work during the pandemic.