Udupi Mission Hospital to begin centenary celebrations

The Lombard Memorial (Mission) Hospital, Udupi, will flag off its Centenary Year Celebrations on Wednesday, said Hospital Director Sushil Jathanna.

Dr Jathanna told reporters in Udupi on Monday that Badagabettu Cooperative Society General Manager Jayakar Shetty inaugurates the blood donation camp at 9 am, CSI Karnataka Southern Diocese Vice President Rev. Sr. Sujatha leads the thanksgiving service at 3 p.m. and Nitte (Deemed to be University) Chancellor N. Vinay Hegde inaugurates the new Nursing College Block at the hospital premises during the day.

The Centenary Year Celebrations would involve a host of activities throughout the year culminating in the Valedictory Function on June 15, 2023, when a new book on the history of the Mission Hospital will be released, Dr Jathanna said. The year-long activities include academic meets, cultural programmes, the inauguration of a Palliative Care Centre and new premises for the Paramedical College.

The 120-bedded Lombard Memorial (Mission) Hospital was founded by Dr Eva Lombard, a young Swiss missionary doctor on June 15, 1923. One of the oldest hospitals, it was perhaps the first Mother and Child focused unit in the region. The hospital also runs five educational institutions offering courses in nursing and paramedical sciences and also a kindergarten school. Its community-based initiatives include Karunalaya, a geriatric nursing care centre, and Sahajeevana, an old age home.

Announcing the Centenary Vision, Dr Jathanna, said that the Mission Hospital has three clear objectives. Firstly, to develop into a super specialty hospital; secondly, to expand its educational base with more courses in nursing and allied health sciences with a view to establishing a new medical college in Udupi in the future. And thirdly, to offer more community-based services like a Palliative Care Centre, Home Care Services and Outreach Clinics in the rural areas of Udupi.

Administrative Officer Deena Prabhavathi, Nursing College Principal Suja Karkada, Senior Medical Officer Ganesh Kamath and others were present. The Hindu