Wenlock Hospital to Be Upgraded Into Regional Multi-Speciality Centre; Rs 70-Crore OPD Block Planned

Mangaluru's Wenlock District Hospital will be upgraded into a regional multi-speciality hospital, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has announced, with the foundation laid for a new outpatient (OPD) block estimated to cost about Rs 70 crore. The upgrade is intended to reduce the load on the ageing hospital's current infrastructure and expand speciality services for patients from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and neighbouring regions who depend on Wenlock for affordable tertiary care. The new OPD block is expected to modernise patient flow, diagnostics and speciality clinics on the campus. The announcement comes as the hospital grapples with heavy referral pressure on its ICUs, and doctors have long argued that the region's largest government hospital needs infrastructure to match its patient volumes. Officials said the works will be phased so that existing services continue while construction is underway.