The Kidwai Cancer Memorial Institute cancer hospital was announced in the Karnataka State Budget 2022 with a clear objective: to provide affordable, specialised cancer care to the poor and needy population of North Karnataka, with Belagavi identified as a key location.
Three state budgets later, the project has not moved an inch.
There has been no foundation stone, no tenders, and no construction activity—despite repeated assurances and public expectations.
RTI replies confirm that the proposed Kidwai Cancer Hospital is to be established within the Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS) campus, Belagavi. The site is finalised. Yet, there is no information in the public domain on project timelines, fund allocation, or even the implementing agency.
This delay is especially alarming given the steady rise in cancer cases in Belagavi district since 2020. Health department data and local reports point to a surge in oral, breast, cervical, lung, and stomach cancers. With no functional cancer hospital in the region, patients are compelled to travel to Bengaluru, Hubballi, or farther—often delaying treatment, exhausting savings, and enduring severe emotional and physical strain. For rural and economically weaker families, this journey is nothing short of devastating.
What makes the situation more disturbing is that projects announced much later have already seen tenders floated and work initiated, while this critical, life-saving hospital—sanctioned earlier—has been inexplicably sidelined.
The project was announced during the tenure of Basavaraj Bommai, but responsibility for execution now squarely rests with the present government. Equally accountable is the Belagavi district in-charge minister, whose role is to monitor and fast-track district-level development. On this crucial healthcare project, there has been no visible ownership, no urgency, and no accountability.
The continued silence of elected representatives and the district administration reflects administrative apathy and political negligence. This is not a procedural delay buried in files—it is a delay that directly impacts human lives.
Belagavi deserves answers.
Who is holding the Kidwai Cancer Hospital project at bay?
Why has a sanctioned, site-finalised hospital been allowed to stagnate for over three years?
The people of Belagavi demand immediate transparency, fixation of responsibility, and a clear, time-bound roadmap for tendering and construction. A cancer hospital cannot remain a forgotten budget line. Delay here is not just governance failure—it is a moral failure.