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The ambitious project to construct an outpatient-cum-emergency block at K.R. Hospital in Mysuru is set to begin soon, with the Mysuru Medical College and Research Institute (MMCRI) management handing over the site identified for the new facility within the hospital premises. MMCRI Dean and Director K.R. Dakshayani told The Hindu that civil works are expected to start anytime as the demolition of the old structures at the special ward block in the hospital has begun. The project is expected to help decongest the Outpatient Department (OPD) services and bring everything under one roof. The old special ward block on the K.R. Hospital premises have been identified for constructing the multi-storied centenary OPD block after demolition of the old structure, and works for the same have been initiated accordingly. The OPD, emergency, and other key services will be shifted to the new block from the main one once the new facility is ready. The centenary OPD complex was one of the proposals submitted to the State government by MMCRI as part of its ‘centenary projects’ and was approved, considering the patient load handled by the K.R. Hospital. The centenary celebrations began in August 2023 and concluded in September 2024. In 2024, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced an allocation of ₹75 crore in his Budget for establishing the new OPD building. It is estimated that the K.R. Hospital handles over nine lakh outpatients a year — the highest by a State-run hospital in Karnataka. On an average, nearly six lakh inpatients avail treatment at the hospital annually. Together, the MMCRI hospitals, including Cheluvamba and PKTB, handle nearly 13.25 lakh patients. The patient load was eased with Mysuru getting a district hospital and a super-specialty hospital on KRS Road.
