At 175, Wenlock Hospital aims to scale new heights

Mangaluru: The 175-year-old Wenlock District Hospital is all set to celebrate its heritage value with the Wenlock, Lady Goschen, and KMC Old Students Association preparing a plan to hold a mega event. Dr M Shantharam Shetty, president of the association, told reporters on Thursday, that an event to celebrate the 175 years of Wenlock Hospital's journey will be held at the TMA Pai International Convention Centre in the city on Sept 14."Wenlock hospital successfully challenged the common perception that govt healthcare institutions provide substandard facilities and services. The hospital's performance effectively disproved this widely held belief among the public. The hospital, through the private partnership with the KMC Hospital, has been offering the best service so that patients from more than 10 districts and other states also visit here," Dr Shetty said.District surgeon and superintendent of the Wenlock Hospital, Dr D S Shivaprakash, said that the new OPD block, which is being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 70 crore, will make the hospital one of the best facilities in the country. "With the hospital celebrating 175 years, various development works are under way to develop it on par with the AIIMS. Several initiatives, including the introduction of buggies to connect various blocks of the hospital located on 15.7 acres are on the anvil. A ‘wall of humanity' will be introduced to help poor and underprivileged people avail themselves of clothes for free from the open shelves at the hospital. The hospital, which receives an average of 30,000 inpatients and three lakh outpatients annually, conducts more than 1,000 surgeries and 2,000 dialysis sessions every year. The 70-year-old PPP model tie-up with the KMC Hospital made the hospital one of the best healthcare facilities in the nation," Dr Shivaprakash said.The hospital will add a new cath lab and a chemotherapy centre soon, he added. Association treasurer Dr Annayya Kulal said that a souvenir will be launched as part of the 175th anniversary of the hospital. Interested artists may participate in a contest by designing a common logo for the Wenlock, Lady Goschen, and KMC hospitals, which should be sent to wlkdk175@gmail.com, he added.Association secretary Dr KR Kamath, honorary president Dr B Unnikrishnan, honorary secretary Dr Durgaprasad MR, and Dr Julian Saldanha were present.