Lady Goschen to get facelift soon

The Lady Goschen Hospital serves as a ray of hope for the poor women. However, with the partial demolition of the building to give way for the new building has put the patients into hardship.

The Hospital which has a history of more than 160 years has been serving the poor for the time immemorial. With a view to upgrade the hospital, it was decided to upgrade the hospital with the help of a donor.

Accordingly, Andhra Pradesh based entrepreneur Raghava Naidu came forward to donate a sum of Rs 18 crore and the foundation for the same was laid in the presence of former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa on April 17, 2011. When the foundation was laid, the donor and the government had announced that the hospital will be ready within a year.

However, the hospital is still waiting for the work to start.

To facilitate the work, part of the building was demolished five to six months ago.

However, the work on the hospital is yet to commence, causing lot of inconvenience to the patients. With the demolition of the compound wall behind the hospital, many fear that miscreants might enter the hospital at any time as a watchman is placed only on the front side of the hospital.

As per the plan, the 260 bedded hospital will be upgraded to 500 bedded hospital. It was said that owing to technical problem, the process of starting the work got delayed.

Speaking to City Herald, Assembly Deputy Speaker and Board of Visitors’ Committee in District Government Wenlock and Lady Goschen Hospital President N Yogish Bhat said that the work on the building will commence within a month or so. As there was delay in the construction work, the donor had expressed his displeasure, he said.

The work will be completed with the help of Andhra Pradesh entrepreneur. “We will see that no inconvenience is meted out to the patients,” he said. To build a new building, the demolition of the old building was necessary. However, no development in the hospital will be affected, he added.

At least 15 to 20 delivery cases come to the hospital daily. Before the demolition of the building, there were four operation rooms. Now there are only two rooms. However, we will see that all the patients who visit the hospital are given the treatment, said a staff on condition of anonymity.

Who was Lady Goschen?

Though Lady Goschen Hospital is situated in the heart of the City, many may not be aware why it is called the Lady Goschen hospital.

George Joachim Goschen, Second Viscount Goschen (October 15, 1866 – July 24,1952) and a British politician, was a member of parliament from 1895 to 1906 and later became the Governor of Madras from 1924 to 1929.

He was the son of George Joachim Goschen, who was also a politician. 

The Second Viscount also served as the parliamentary secretary to the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries from March to June 1918. In 1924, he became the Governor of Madras and acted as the Viceroy of India from 1929 to 1931.  Goschen fell in love with Lady Margaret Evelyn-Gathorne Hardy, the youngest of five daughters of the Gathorne Hardy, 1st Earl of Cranbrook. She was eight years older to him. His father was dead against this match and used his influence to have him posted to Australia. After returning from Australia, he married Lady Margaret on January 26, 1893. Lady Margaret Evelyn-Gathorne Hardy later came to be addressed as Lady Goschen.

The undivided South Canara district was under the Madras Presidency until 1956. So when Goschen served as Governor of Madras, the children’s hospital in Mangalore city was refurbished and renamed as Lady Goschen hospital during his tenure, around 1926. George Goschen died in 1952 at the age of 85.