Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology in Bengaluru will get 200 additional beds, while the Karnataka government will examine a request for three acres to provide accommodation for mothers and family members accompanying children for cancer treatment, D.K. Shivakumar said during a visit to the hospital on Children’s Day.
Shivakumar visited wards in the hospital’s Kapoor Building and spoke with several children undergoing treatment. He asked patients about their health, offered chocolates and flowers, and spoke with their parents about the care and facilities being provided at the institute.
During the interaction, he encouraged a boy named Parthasarathi, who was being treated for blood cancer, by connecting the child’s name with Arjuna from the Mahabharata. He also spoke with a boy named Dhanush from Magadi, a girl named Pooja from Humnabad who said she wanted to become a teacher, and a child named Gangothri. The children were given chocolates and drawing books.
Shivakumar also sat with mothers who had travelled from different parts of Karnataka to care for their children. He asked whether the hospital was providing necessary facilities and whether anyone had asked them for money. He said the government would work towards establishing cancer hospitals in the patients’ respective districts.
“Providing shelter and courage along with treatment to such families is the responsibility of the government,” Shivakumar told reporters, according to Prajavani. He said additional capacity would be created at the institute and that the demand for three acres of land would be examined so accommodation could be arranged for mothers and other family members accompanying children.
The proposed expansion comes as the hospital continues to receive patients from across Karnataka. The report did not specify the timeline for adding the 200 beds, the estimated cost, the funding source or whether the expansion would involve new construction, conversion of existing space or additional medical staffing.
Shivakumar also said the government would examine what steps were required to provide children with all necessary cancer treatment facilities free of cost. He described the increasing incidence of cancer among young children as a matter of concern.
The visit placed two linked requirements before the state: expanding treatment capacity at Bengaluru’s major cancer institute and reducing the burden on families who must travel from other districts for prolonged care. The government’s next steps will include examining the land request and determining how the proposed additional beds and related facilities will be implemented.
