The State Budget’s proposal to rename the 125-year-old Victoria Hospital after socialist leader Shantaveri Gopala Gowda has caught doctors and patients off guard.
One of the city’s most prominent public healthcare institutions, Victoria Hospital serves as a major referral tertiary care facility. Established on December 8, 1900, the hospital was founded by George Curzon, the then Viceroy of India, and Maharani Kempananjammani of Mysore. The institution was set up to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria and to strengthen public health infrastructure in the aftermath of the 1898 plague outbreak.
Doctors at the hospital said they had no prior information about the proposal until it was announced in the Budget. Patients too appeared surprised, with some noting that the hospital’s long-standing name would likely remain in common use. “Even if the name changes, people will still find it easier to remember it as Victoria Hospital,” said a patient at the facility.
Minister for Medical Education Sharan Prakash Patil said the decision to rename the hospital followed representations made by some associations to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. “This is a tribute to the socialist leader,” he said.
