Minto ophthalmic hospital and the regional institute of ophthalmology: Tale as old as time

Minto Ophthalmic Hospital and Regional Institute of Ophthalmology

“The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.” – Charles Dickens

What makes an Institution? Is it the founders, the building, the doctors, the staff, the patients, the renovations and upgradations, the principles, the innovations, the scientific contributions, the alumni, or the fresh batch of students? It is, quite possibly, all of them together. When we started searching for the details to work on this month’s issue, we were incredibly fortunate to come across the Three Ghosts who showed us glimpses of the Institution’s rich heritage. No, they were not the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, or Future. They were the Ghosts of Minto’s Ancient Past, Medieval Past, and Modern Past!

The Ghost of Minto’s Ancient Past: Dr. S.V. Ramaswamy Iyengar

In the early winters of 1896, 77 years after the Egmore Eye Hospital had established itself in Chennai as the first dedicated eye hospital in Asia, on November 9, a dispensary called Bangalore Eye Hospital, was opened in a shop in Chickpet, Bangalore. I had specialized in Ophthalmology and was appointed the Medical Officer [Fig 1]. I remember the first day, nine patients visited the dispensary that day, seeking treatment for their eye problems. I really did not feel that, in the next 125 years, this dispensary would transform into a revered Institution, withstand outbreaks of two infectious diseases, change location thrice, and restore the vision of more than a lakh patients every year.

Figure 1.

Dr. S. V. Ramaswamy Iyengar

As we started treating more and more patients, we realized we needed a bigger facility to practice. On January 1, 1897, the outpatient department of the hospital was moved to the Lal Bagh Lodge.[1] The Lal Bagh Lodge was a small cottage under the control of the Deputy Commissioner of Bangalore District.[2] From 1894 to 1896, Vijay Raghavendra Rao, Secretary of the Revenue Department, was the tenant.[2] Once he left, it was a highly sought after lodge by many Government officials. However, they decided to utilize it for the benefit of the people. The outpatient department of the Bangalore Eye Hospital used to function from the verandah of the Lodge.[2] In 1898, when plague broke out in Bangalore, the main hall and rooms of the Lodge were used for isolation and treatment of the patients.[2] Later, the City Hospital continued to function with 16 beds in the Lodge. Once the Victoria Hospital was constructed, they shifted there. We then moved the inpatient department of the Bangalore Eye Hospital, as well, to the Lodge in 1900.[2] Between 1897 and 1910, the number of inpatient beds increased from 16 to 36 and the staff included an Assistant Surgeon, a compounder, seven ward attendants, and two scavengers. In 1908, the foundation of the operating room was laid in the compound of the Lal Bagh Lodge. But I somehow intervened and stopped it. In its place, I proposed an ambitious-bordering-on-foolishness plan for the construction of a separate building for the hospital. It was not before 1910 that the government conceded.[2]

The Ghost of Minto’s Medieval Past: Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar

“There are branches of the healing art which cannot be properly studied or developed without special hospitals of their own, and foremost among them is the branch of Ophthalmic Medicine and Surgery, and I am glad that it has been possible for my Government by sanctioning the erection of a new Eye Hospital.” Yes, I remember speaking those words when I laid the foundation stone of the Minto Ophthalmic Hospital on December 17, 1910 [Fig. 2]. The hospital was named in honor of the Viceroyalty of Gilbert John Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, the fourth Earl of Minto, and inaugurated on his anniversary on January 31, 1913[3] [Figs. 3 and 4]. Unfortunately, he passed away within a year of its inauguration. Did you know, the Victorian architecture of the Minto Ophthalmic Hospital differs from the more common Colonial style with Pompeian red? The grey façade is built from granite blocks. It is true that the stones of the hospital came from the demolished parts of the Bangalore fort.[3] You cannot miss the Gandaberunda sigil on either side of the entrance porch and on some of the old windows and railings.[3] Dr S. V. Ramaswamy Iyenger was the first superintendent of the hospital (1913–1917).

Figure 2.

Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV

Figure 3.

The foundation stone of Minto Ophthalmic Hospital and Regional Institute of Ophthalmology

Figure 4.

The photograph of the viceroyalty of Gilbert John Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, the fourth Earl of Minto at the entrance of the hospital[2]

The Ghost of Minto’s Modern Past: Prof. R. Lalya Naik

The Institute grew, adapting to the times and the needs of the patients. In 1923, the Seethamma Ward was added for women and children, endowed by the late Mrs. Seethamma Krishna Iyengar. With clear aims of eradicating blindness, empowering young Ophthalmologists with the latest knowledge and skills, and excelling in patient care and resource management, Minto Ophthalmic Hospital became the referral center not just for patients in and around Karnataka but also throughout the country and several parts of the world. It was granted the status of Regional Institute of Ophthalmology in 1981 under the National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB), and I was the first director of the Minto Regional Institute of Ophthalmology (1982–1988) [Fig. 5]. Apart from regular renovations, the authorities did not change the architecture of the main building, maintaining its sanctity and the grandeur [Fig. 6]. It housed the administrative offices, the dispensary, the library, and the wards. A new super-specialty building opened its doors on January 22, 1965, with the outpatient clinic, specialty clinics, the operating rooms (OR), the minor OR, laboratory, and the refraction unit.[1] The Eye Bank was established on April 1, 1970, and renamed Kishinchand Chelaram Eye Bank and Corneal Grafting Centre on December 24, 1975. Exclusive retina wards, septic ORs, and septic wards were established in the CGC and Vitreoretina block. I heard that there is now a Centenary Building where the auditorium and special wards are [Fig. 7].

Figure 5.

Prof. R. Lalya Naik, the first director of Minto Ophthalmic Hospital and Regional Institute of Ophthalmology

Figure 6.

The main building has been left largely untouched in its Victorian glory[2]

Figure 7.

The postal covers by the Postal Services, India, to commemorate (a) the 100^th and (b) the 150^th year of Minto Ophthalmic Hospital and Regional Institute of Ophthalmology

Minto Ophthalmic Hospital: The Present Glory

“We, at Minto Ophthalmic Hospital, Regional Institute of Ophthalmology have been catering to the needs of the general public by providing super speciality eye care in the various sub specialities of General and Community Ophthalmology, Cornea and refractive services, Glaucoma, Retina, Squint, Paediatric Ophthalmology, Neuroophthalmology and Oculoplasty and Ocular oncology.” – Dr. B. L. Sujatha Rathod, Director and Professor of Ophthalmology, Minto Ophthalmic Hospital and Regional Institute of Ophthalmology. Dr. Rathod is the 13^th Director of this prestigious Institute and, incidentally, the daughter of the first Director, Prof. Dr. R. Lalya Naik.

Today, the hospital boasts of 300 beds, a daily outpatient number of 600+, an annual patient load of over a lakh, and almost 20,000 surgeries per year. It is also a prestigious Ophthalmic education institute, training 26 postgraduate, 250 undergraduate students, providing fellowship training in subspecialties of vitreoretinal, glaucoma, and cornea, and facilitating training under NPCB, DOTs and COTs, and BSc. The hospital has the biggest Pediatric Ophthalmology unit in the state.[4] It was also actively involved in the care of patients with COVID-19-related mucormycosis. While at one end, the hospital has state-of-the-art facilities for advanced refractive procedures, they diligently provide low vision rehabilitation services for the incurably blind.

The hospital has trained or nurtured several accomplished Ophthalmologists who have made extraordinary contributions in the field of Ophthalmology, including Dr. Chandrashekhar Shetty, Dr. Sriprakash K. S., Dr. T. K. Ramesh, and Dr. Bhujang Shetty.

The Minto Ophthalmic Hospital and Regional Institute of Ophthalmology is a living testament to the impact of a great Institution on individuals and the country on the whole [Fig. 8].

Figure 8.

The team of doctors and students—proud bearers of the glorious legacy

“I will live in the past, the present, and the future. The spirits of all three shall strive within me.” – Charles Dickens

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.