Sub: Request for establishing All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Belagavi district.

 Esteemed greetings from Belagavi public representatives.

 Belagavi is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located in Northern part along the Western Ghats; it is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Belgaum division and Belgaum district. Karnataka is divided into four administrative divisions namely Bangalore division, Mysore division, Kalaburgi division and Belagavi division. The Government of Karnataka has proposed making Belagavi as 2nd capital of Karnataka made a second state administrative building Suvarna Vidhana Soudha inaugurated on 11th October 2012 since then annually 10 to 15 days sessions are held to address grievances related to North Karnataka.

 • Belagavi is one of 4th largest city and fastest city in Karnataka. Belagavi was selected under first 20 smart city mission under leadership of Shri Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modiji.

 • Belagavi is located in midway of between Bangalore & Mumbai approximately at 500km. City is in North western part of Karnataka and lies at border of 2 states, Maharashtra and Goa in western Ghats. Belagavi is one of oldest town in the state lying 500km from Bangalore, 500km from Mumbai, 512km from Hyderabad and 7 600km from Mysore.

• Belagavi district population as on December 2020 is 51,43,390 as per aadhar data uidai.gov.in. Belagavi as 14 taluka’s. Belagavi is biggest district and 2nd most populated district after Bangalore. Literacy rate is 73%.

 • Belagavi is known for pleasant climate round the year with abundant rivers and heavy rainfall. Main source of economy are from vegetables, Sugarcane, fruits, meat and wood. Belagavi is known as sugar bowl of karnataka and Hydraulic capital city of India.

 • Belagavi as many defence establishments namely Maratha Infantry, ITBP, Commando training wing and CRPF institute.

 • Belagavi district hub of many Educational institutions like ICMR NITM Belagavi, KLE University, Rani Channamma University, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences Regional centre, Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU).

• Belagavi district as private medical colleges like JNMC KLE’S hospital and KLE’S Ayurveda college and Hospital

 • Belagavi is well-connected by road on lines of Golden Quadrilateral Highway NH4.

 • Belagavi as Airport at Sambra station one of the oldest domestic airports in India operated by Star Air, Air Alliance, Spice Jet, Indigo and Trujet connected to across various important destinations in India.

 • Belagavi as Railway station under Indian Railways grid being part of Southern western Railways division and connected to major destinations.

 Belagavi district medical infrastructure is very poor on comparing to various districts in Karnataka. 52lac population as one and only district hospital with 750 beds strength. District hospital is oldest hospital being operational from British Era initially it was started with 100 bed from 1859 onwards. Its 160yr old and 80% building functions under old building. In 2005 government of Karnataka approved medical college to district called it as Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences. Started with 100 undergraduate seats in MBBS and Nursing. Currently only 3 Post Graduate courses are being offered in Medical College. District hospital is always in huge demand as it adjacent to border places of Maharashtra and Goa. Hospital is been boon to nearby places for poor families who couldn’t afford treatment in private hospitals. Ever since 2005 many representations where given to government of Karnataka to build new hospital has building is 160yr old. But successive governments have ignored demands of public representatives and hospital authorities. In 2019 during covid19 outbreak district hospital was in news for covid19 crisis and mismanagement, eventually leading to increased number of covid19 deaths because its only 750 bed district hospital for 52lac population. Belagavi is a border district more prone to pandemic disease especially seen in Covid19 outbreak in 1st and 2nd wave. During covid19 crisis then chief Minister of Karnataka shri Yediruppaji appointed IAS officer for better management of hospital but nothing as improved. Recent visit by Karnataka High Court Judge Sri B Veerappa and Belagavi district Judge Sri A B Shrinath expressed unhappiness over functioning administration and infrastructure of the hospital.

Belagavi district has 18 MLA’S & 3MP'S none of the elected representatives have shown interest to modernize infrastructure of the district hospital.

 On comparison to other districts in Karnataka

 Bangalore has many primer Government health care institutions to cater 1.5cr population with well advanced medical infrastructure and abundant highly skilled Medical staffs.

 Dharwad district has Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences run by  Govt of Karnataka in Hubli with 2100 bed strength as 21 Post Graduate courses and many paramedical courses available. Recently KIMS hospital is upgraded under PMSSY Phase 3 at cost of 150crore. PMSSY is super speciality hospital 200 bedded with tertiary care services available like pediatric surgery, plastic surgery, Surgical Gastroenterology, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Medical Oncology, Urology with other specialized instruments. Now in dharwad 3050 beds are available in govt hospitals in dharwad city like KIMS 2100, ESI 100, DHIMANS 250, DHARWAD dist hospital 250, RAILWAY hospital  150, PMSSY 200 bed and Jayadev SJICR  hospital 350 is being built all these facilities are for 20lac populated dharwad district.

 This year in 2022 during budgetary allocations Government of Karnataka announced to Hubli to establish Sri Jayadev Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research centre it’s a tertiary care autonomous institute run by govt of Karnataka as regional Centre situated in Bangalore. Sri Jayadev Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research centre (SJICR) as regional centre functioning in other 3 administrative divisions of Karnataka in Bangalore, Mysore and Kalaburgi districts only deprived was Belagavi district. Decision to built SJICR hospital in Hubli instead of Belagavi as left people of Belagavi to surprise and shocked as the hospital was supposed to be announced at Belagavi considering administrative division of Karnataka but due to political lobby by elected representatives SJICR was announced to Hubli at cost of 350crore 350 bedded along with this government of Karnataka is pushing hard to build All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) run by Ministry of Health and Family welfare government of India to establish in dharwad region. Thus giving enormous opportunities to hubli dharwad people during illness. Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences ( KIMS) is equivalent to AIIMS because it has all super specialty departments available. KIMS also has 60 bed cardiology unit performing essential life saving procedures like Angiography and angioplasty etc. KIMS & AIIMS are having similar functions in providing health care services especially tertiary care services and even with SJICR Jayadev is specialized in cardiovascular surgeries.

 For instance AIIMS Delhi is more than 2300 bedded hospital. AIIMS institutes across the country are having above 1800 bed in each hospital among those 150 bed unit are reserved only for Cardiovascular surgeries and now SJICR announced to build at Hubli 350 bedded hospital even specialized in Cardiovascular surgeries. In an event of cardiac emergencies arising in Hubli dharwad region people will have 3 options to avail affordable treatment in coming days and as of now only KIMS is providing cardiac emergencies treatment, while it’s totally opposite in Belagavi district. Belagavi doesn’t have any cardiac disease treatment nor any other tertiary level health care government hospitals at affordable rates in govt institutes, people are forced to depend upon private hospitals thus depriving from universal health care services.

 For 2018-19 economic survey done by government of Karnataka across state & in the Belagavi district per capita income is 1,13,608 for one year of 2018-19 one of the worst performing district stood 23rd in 30th district survey. Belagavi district is deprived from tertiary level health care services managed by government institutes.

About AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences)

 AIIMS is one of the prestigious central government institutes under Jurisdiction of Ministry of Health and Family welfare government of India. 20 AIIMS Institutes are functioning in India cross various districts of states and few more are being considered to be approved. In 2003, Government of India announced the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) initiative which aimed at “correcting regional imbalances in the affordable/reliable tertiary health care services” this was done through two channels; setting up AIIMS like Institutions and upgrading government medical colleges.

AIIMS requires 200acres land and budget of 2000 crores rupees. Belagavi is capable to welcome and provide essential tertiary level health care services to the people. AIIMS will generate employment for 10,000 people directly and indirectly for that Belagavi dist has enough resources.

Why does Belagavi district needs AIIMS hospital?

1)      We are the 2nd largest district in the state by area and population 53lac.

2)       We are contributing second largest revenue to state exchequer

3)      We are the 2nd largest exporter with maximum of EOU industries.

4)      We are 2nd capital city of Karnataka after Bangalore but unfortunately we have very  less government medical facilities to common people and we depend upon private medical hospitals for treatment.

 

Belagavi district needs All India Institute of Medical Sciences to be established in Belagavi because district hospital lacks specialized tertiary level Healthcare services and most of the patients are referred to private hospitals to KLE, neighboring district of Miraj, Sangli and KIMS hospital Hubli to avail treatments. In this regard we on behalf of Belagavi aspirations and public organizations request Government of India and Government of Karnataka to establish AIIMS in Belagavi, it will be boon to people of North Karnataka and states of Maharashtra and Goa.

 

 Anticipating positive response Thank you.