Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) and Hospital needs an additional grant of ₹30 crore annually in addition to the annual grant of ₹24 crore, Director of KIMS Ramalingappa Antaratani has said.
Addressing a press conference called to brief the media about the developments at the premiere healthcare institution of North Karnataka in the past three years, in Hubballi on Tuesday, Dr. Ramalingappa said that the government had sanctioned the additional grant last year taking into consideration the increased beds and other services provided by KIMS.
“However, there is a disparity in the quantum of grants sanctioned to government medical institutes in Bengaluru and Mysuru. BIMS received annual grant of ₹79 crore while that of MIMS was around ₹39 crore. But KIMS received just ₹24 crore annually, although it handled almost equal number of patients and similar services. While last year the additional grant was sanctioned, we will have to seek additional grants annually. It will be beneficial if the government increases the annual grant to ₹54 crore,” he said.
Dr. Ramalingappa said that the bed facility had now increased to 2,400 from 1,200 during previous years and naturally the institute would require more funds for maintenance than before. He said that KIMS now had an average of 1,546 out patients daily, over 40,000 minor operations and around 16,000 major operations annually. An averge of 32 births took place at KIMS daily, he said elaborating about the various steps taken for improving the healthcare services in the hospital.
While KIMS was offering paramedical courses already, a proposal to set up paramedical college had been submitted to the government.
Cardiology block
Dr. Ramalingappa said that new cardiology block with 90 beds had started functioning and second cathlab had also been installed. Monthly around 100 angioplasty were being done at KIMS, bypass surgeries too conducted.
Already KIMS had tied up with BMST (Bangalore Medical Services Trust) Lab for HLA testing for all kidney transplant cases and already kidney transplants had been done successfully in the hospital, he said.
To a query, Dr. Ramalingappa said that over 2,100 molecules with costly drugs were available at KIMS along with orthopaedic implants. However, as other hospitals in the surrounding districts were sending patients who required advanced drugs, KIMS was finding it difficult to maintain the supply, he said.
To another query, he said that Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka health scheme had helped KIMS to generate its own revenue through providing treatment to APL card holders. The number of surgeries too had increased in the hospital as OT hours had been extended, he said.
M.R. Patil of the Nephrology Department said that at KIMS they had successfully done kidney transplants including cases of incompatible blood types. KIMS Medical Superintendent Dr. Rajashekhar Dyaberi, Dr Udaykumar, Dr. Laxmikanth Lokare, Dr. Siddeshwar Katakol, Dr. K. Kattimani, Dr. Mahesh Kumar, Ravi Joshi and other doctors were present.
