Bengaluru: The Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology (KMIO) is set to take the crown as Bengaluru’s largest govt-run healthcare facility, overtaking both Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Victoria Hospital. The state govt has announced plans to add 450 new beds in a soon-to-be-constructed block, pushing KMIO’s total capacity to 1,200 beds.At present, KMIO operates with 750 beds, while Jayadeva has 1,150 and Victoria Hospital 1,000. The expansion marks a significant milestone in Karnataka’s public health infrastructure and highlights the growing cancer burden in the state.Officials said the move comes in response to a sharp rise in both new and follow-up cancer cases. In 2024 alone, KMIO recorded around 60 new patient registrations every day and 1,243 follow-up visits daily, underscoring its position as the state’s busiest oncology centre.Admissions have more than doubled in the last five years — from 9,544 in 2020 to 22,063 in 2024. “The patient load has been rising every year, and expanding our bed capacity is critical to meet the increasing demand for cancer treatment,” said a senior KMIO official.Among male patients, lung cancer has been the most common form of cancer, followed by prostate, stomach, and mouth cancer. Among women, breast cancer continues to be the most common cancer. Cervix, ovary, mouth, and corpus uterine cancers are other common cancers in women. “The leading cause of cancer among men is tobacco – be it in the form of cigarettes or beedis or chewing tobacco. Breast cancer among women is mainly due to genetic or lifestyle factors,” said Dr T Naveen, director, KMIO.Alarmingly, in 2024, 4.6% of the total cancer load (601 cases) were childhood cancers. Among these, 364 were boys and 237 were girls. Lymphoid leukaemia (blood and bone marrow cancer) was the leading type of cancer among children, with a 24.9% share in the total cases. This was followed by brain and nervous system cancer (15%), myeloid leukaemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (blood cancer) (11.8%), and Hodgkin’s disease (cancer of the lymphatic system) (7.5%).Dr Naveen said early identification is imperative to prevent loss of lives. “With advances in treatment, over 70% of childhood cancers are curable if diagnosed early,” he said.He added to handle this growing case load among both adults and children, expansion of the hospital is necessary. “With people coming from different parts of the state, we want to provide them with beds and treat them as in-patients even when they are waiting for their test results,” Dr Naveen said.Like most govt-run hospitals, Kidwai too continues to suffer from a staff crunch. However, for the new block, there will be more recruitment. “It will take at least six months to one year for construction work to complete. By then, the govt will recruit more staff to work there,” Dr Naveen said.
