Hi-tech Ayurvedic Hospital that never opened

Chikkamagaluru: A 7.5 crore building. A fully high-tech structure. Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai laid the foundation stone, and current Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated it. Looking at the building, it would make anyone say, “Wow!” But the reality is that it has turned into a car shed. If things had gone as planned, this place should have been bustling with people by now. Unfortunately, due to the negligence of officials and public representatives, the building has crumbled, and now it serves as a car shed for officials.

A high-tech district Ayurvedic hospital with an expenditure of 7.5 crore has been constructed near the District Panchayat in Chikkamagaluru city. The three-story building, with 50 beds, is ready but remains closed. Instead of being used as a hospital, the building has become a parking space for the officials’ cars. Even though the hospital was completed over a year ago, the inauguration was held last year. However, the hospital has never been operational, and the doors remain locked.

In 2022, former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai laid the foundation stone for the project. The inauguration was conducted by current CM Siddaramaiah in 2024, but still, the hospital is not serving the public. The area around the building is filled with garbage, and what was supposed to be a fully functional health facility is now a parking lot for officials and a gathering place for locals.

The credit for the construction of the building is being claimed by both the BJP and Congress. However, the hospital has yet to open its doors to the public. During the BJP government, the foundation stone was laid, and now, during the Congress tenure, the inauguration took place. But neither party has taken responsibility for the fact that the hospital, despite being ready for over a year, has never served the people.

C.T. Ravi, when he was an MLA, fought to bring both a medical college and an Ayurvedic hospital to the region. Now, with both political parties in power, the hospital still hasn’t opened. The building, though ready for use, remains underutilized, serving only as a place for parking cars rather than offering medical services.

This 50-bed hospital, with an estimated cost of 7.5 crore, could greatly benefit the people in the area. The locals, along with public representatives and officials, are urging that the hospital be opened for public service immediately. Overall, a year after the inauguration, the high-tech Ayurvedic hospital remains closed, and the only people using it are officials parking their cars. Meanwhile, the people who need the services are left waiting for a hospital that never opened.