Karnataka's four major government hospitals including the 102-year-old Victoria Hospital will shortly get a new lease of life following a directive from the HD Revanna, minister for public works and revenue. The state government has drawn up an estimate of Rs 60 crore to the facelift programme.

Despite a financial crunch, the government has planned improvements as it hopes to raise funds with private partnership. The State Government is also seeking corporate sponsorship for the government hospitals improvement project, failing which it would take up the same in a phased manner.

The State Government has announced a plan of action for the government hospitals upgrade where it has formed a 11-member committee to prepare a master plan to undertake repair and construction works at the Victoria, Vani Vilas, Minto Eye Hospital and Government College of Nursing College.

The committee comprising heads of various civic agencies and hospital management will prepare the estimate of the project. The members comprise hospital superintends, health and family welfare secretary, director of medical education, Commissioners from the Bangalore Development Authority and the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) who will be in-charge of the project, informed the public works and energy minister.

At the Victoria hospital, the State Government plans to increase the capacity of the hospital from the existing 764 beds to 1,000 beds. To facilitate this, the publics works department has taken up the construction of an eight-storied building in the hospital premises that will house operation theatres, labs and outpatient wards. The estimated cost of the building is Rs 8 crore. An emergency unit at the Sirur block is expected to come up at an additional Rs 8 crore investment.

The Infosys Foundation headed by Sudha Murthy has released Rs 2.5 crore for the construction of a hi-tech diagnostic lab at the hospital. The old nursing quarters would be demolished and a new one would be constructed in its place for both doctors and nursing staff.

Minister Revanna has directed the authorities to construct a two-lane road in the Victoria hospital premises to connect with the Vani Vilas hospital. He also instructed the BMP to take up construction of public toilets inside the Victoria Hospital.

Augmentation of emergency unit in the Sirur block and the renovation of the Urology department of the hospital are in the pipeline. While the emergency wing is estimated to come up at a cost of Rs 8 crore, the cost for upgrading urology department is yet to be worked out.

At the Vani Vilas Hospital, which is a dedicated medical centre for women and children, doctors called for the need to set-up a full-ledged laboratory, pharmacy and dining room. They also sought for the upgrading of the hospital's ENT block for another floor. The details of cost were not disclosed here.

Additional infrastructure upgrade is expected at the Bowring & Lady Curzon Hospital which was a medical facility set up by the British in 1888 to treat the wounded army personnel. What began as a 60-bed hospital is today 1000 bed centre having a full-fledged medical department offering medicines at free of cost to the patients.