Serving people with compassion
A Role Model for any Charitable Hospital
by S.N. Venkatnag Sobers
One of the oldest charitable hospitals in Mysuru is Kamakshi Hospital, a multi-specialty hospital run by Bantwal Sulochana Madhava Shenoy (BSMS) Trust. Located in the heart of the city at Saraswathipuram, the hospital has been catering to the health needs of middle class, lower middle class and the poor.
Star of Mysore and Mysooru Mithra printing unit was close to this hospital, enjoying a cordial relationship with its genial, ever smiling, kind and compassionate Dr. K.R. Kamath as its administrator, till the unit was shifted to its present location in the year 1989.
Kamakshi Hospital is the brain child of philanthropists late Bantwal Madhava Shenoy and Sulochana Madhava Shenoy, the famous Ganesha Beedi Baron of Mysuru, who wanted to serve people by providing them quality health facilities at affordable rates.
The hospital was started on Apr. 23, 1973 with 16 beds and today, it has grown to a 220-bedded hospital, all because of the dedication put in by the Trustees and the members of the Trust.
The foundation stone for the hospital was laid during the 70th birthday celebrations of Madhava Shenoy. After the hospital became operational during April 1973, the first Operation Theatre was started on Nov. 19, 1973. Today, the hospital has nine state-of-the-art Operation Theatres (OT) with expert OT staff to assist the surgeons.
BSMS Trust, which has been managing the hospital, is constantly upgrading the hospital according to the advancements in the medical field. The popularity of the hospital is such that around 300 patients on an average come to get themselves checked at the OPD everyday.
The credit for developing the hospital goes to the previous Managing Trustee M. Vinod Rao, the fourth son of Madhava Shenoy, who served as the Managing Trustee for 10 years.
He is credited for his vision to bring more facilities to the hospital and provide quality health service to the patients. When he took over as the Managing Trustee, the hospital was 96-bedded but on the day he left, the hospital was developed into a 220-bedded multi-specialty hospital.
Vinod Rao’s younger brother Vishwanth Rao, who was the Managing Trustee for more than two decades, is also credited for safeguarding the Trust’s property before handing over the reins to Vinod Rao, who took over for the second time.
Speaking to Star of Mysore, BSMS Trust’s Managing Trustee, the young and dynamic, Mahesh Shenoy, son of Vinod Rao, said that it was because of his father’s vision that the hospital saw a lot of development and emerged as one of the finest hospitals in city.
Significantly, the Trust has never faced problems from the employees as there has always been a cordial relationship in the true spirit of running a charitable hospital.
Vinod Rao, who was an active partner of Mangalore Ganesh Beedi, chose to come out of the business and involve totally in charity and social service works. He has made sure that his children, his brothers and their children are also involved in social service through this hospital. More importantly, it is one of the spacious, airy and clean hospitals in the city. A model for a Swachh Hospital Abhiyan. Surely, Kamakshi Hospital is a role model for any hospital run as a charitable hospital.
The Trust, which is currently run by the grandchildren of Madhava Shenoy, on Founder’s Day every year, makes sure to honour doctors and staff for the service they have rendered to the hospital. Employees, who have completed 25 years of service, are felicitated during the event.
Talking about the future plans, Mahesh Shenoy, the Managing Trustee, said that the Trust has plans to expand the activities of blood bank by adding Blood Components Separation Unit.
“There is also a plan to install an MRI scanner to add to the present facilities. The OPD and the emergency unit will be renovated in the coming days. There is also a need for a bigger and better medical stores to provide medicines 24×7 to patients at the hospital as well as the general public,” he added.
The BSMS Trust will soon take up the construction of another hospital in J.P. Nagar which will provide similar services as the one in Saraswathipuram. The construction of the hospital is set to begin once the clearance is given from the government agencies. Once the hospital is functional, people living in the J.P. Nagar, surrounding areas and villages will be benefited.
Kamakshi Hospital, apart from being known for offering health services at an affordable price, is known for its cleanliness. Though the inflow of patients is more, the hospital authorities have made sure to provide a clean and serene atmosphere for the patients.
The hospital has a total of 400 employees who have been working in different shifts to take care of patients and their needs. A total of 40 consulting doctors visit hospital every day to attend the patients at the OPD from 9 am to 1 pm and 3.30 pm to 7.30 pm.
Dr. K.R. Kamath, the Administrator of the hospital, has been working at the hospital since day one. It has been almost 43 years since Dr. Kamath joined Kamakshi Hospital. Dr. C. Umesh Kamath, who is the Medical Superintendent, has been serving the hospital for more than 15 years now.
Kamakshi Hospital is also visited by many eminent surgeons like Dr. C.G. Narasimhan (General Surgeon), Dr. Ajay Hegde (Orthopaedic Surgeon), Dr. M.G. Anil Kumar and Dr. Kumar (Paediatric Surgeons), Dr. C.D. Sreenivasa Murthy (Physician), Dr. Shivakumar (General Surgeon), Dr. B.S. Jayaraj (Pulmonologist), Dr. Roopa Prakash (Gynaecologist) and Dr. M.S. Vishweshwara (Oncologist).
The BSMS Trust is offering free education at the Bruhaspathacharya School for children from poor background. This apart, the Trust has also plans to start orphanage and old age homes in the days to come. It has also helped around 200 children with various congenital anomalies to undergo procedures free of cost.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / February 14th, 2016