By S.T. Ravikumar

The PKTB (Princess Krishnarajamani Tuberculosis Hospital) Sanatorium  on KRS Road in city is celebrating hundred years of service this year.

It was in July 1917, the then Maharaja of Mysore had released Rs. 60,000 for the construction of the Hospital, following which the foundation stone for the Hospital, featuring four special wards, a general ward, an administrative office and staff quarters, was laid on Apr. 6, 1918. The cost of the building upon completion stood at Rs. 98,709, when Col. Devaraj Urs donated Rs.75,000 in memory of  Rajkumari Krishnajammanni, the second youngest sister of the then Maharaja. The Hospital building was completed and the  PKTB Hospital was thrown open for public service on Nov. 21,1921.

As Rajkumari Krishnajammanni  and her children became victims of the deadly TB disease, the then Maharaja of Mysore Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar pledged to build a hospital for patients suffering from the disease. The then senior Surgeon and the Chief Engineer, who were entrusted with the task of finding a suitable place for the Hospital, suggested a few places including the one at Whitefield in Bengaluru and Mount Joy at Basavanagudi, also in Bengaluru. But finally, the vast space located at a height along KRS Road was found to be the most ideal spot for the Hospital. This space also had several other advantages such as availability of power and water, safe distance from residential localities, elevated location, easy reach etc. After functioning for several years on its own as TB, Pulmonary  and Chest Diseases Hospital, the Hospital later became an integral part of Mysore Medical College. The Hospital had two major departments — Pulmonary Medicine and Cardio Thoracic Surgery, in which thousands of patients were treated both as out-patients and in-patients.

DRTB Centre: The TB Hospital had a DRTB Centre (Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis) having 16 beds to treat TB patients. The DRTB Centre still exists and functioned as the  Nodal Centre for 9 districts from 2012 to 2015 and for 6 six districts since then. The Centre has modern testing equipments such as CANAAT and TRUE NAAT for detection of any stains of the deadly TB disease.

Apart from Col. Devaraj Urs, the Hospital received donations in cash and other things by many donors over the years, who chiefly included Amble Annaiah Pandit, Shampur Papanna, Rao Saheb Munivenkatappa, D. Banumaiah, Dharma Prakash V.D. Rajaram Mudaliar, Huzoor Sahukar Krishnadas, A.S. Rangaswamy Iyengar, Ragimandi Chowdaiah, P.K.Sanatorium Society and Ideal Jawa Society, among others.

The PKTB Sanatorium, which is one of the earliest Hospitals in the State, is located on a vast area of 83 acre land amid rich green surroundings and a pristine and serene environment. The Sanatorium premises now has the 350-bedded Jayadeva Heart Hospital covering 16 acres of space. The premises also houses the Trauma Care Centre covering 4 acres and a Super-Speciality Hospital covering 10 acres. But these two Hospitals are yet to be fully operational for want of equipment and staff.

The PKTB Hospital which is celebrating its centenary year, needs a facelift, for which the Government should provide funds. The Hospital, which has treated lakhs of patients in its 100 years of service, still continues to be a major State Hospital for treatment of Chest and Lung diseases and infections.

As the century-old buildings have turned dilapidated, and MUDA has stepped in for repair and renovation of the Hospital, by allotting Rs.1 crore  in its budget.