KGF MINING HOSPITAL / BGML HOPSITAL

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 THE KGF MINING HOSPITAL

 The KGF Mining Hospital or The Company Hospital which was started by the John Taylor and Sons Company in the early years soon became a well equipped hospital with the latest medical equipment and facilities over time. It was staffed with eminent British and Indian doctors and British and Anglo-Indian nurses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hospital wards were named after the erstwhile British bosses such as Gideon Ward, Henry’s Ward, Morgan ward, etc. Medical Treatment was provided free of cost for all the employees and their families.

The Mining Hospital gained the distinction of being the best hospital in the whole of the Kolar district and was also recognized by the Indian Medical Council as a reputed center for the treatment of Occupational Diseases, such as Tuberculosis, Silicosis, etc. The National Institute of Miners Health had its headquarters in the KGF Hospital. It also had a separate Isolation Section to deal with infectious diseases such as Cholera, Small Pox etc. 

 Whenever we were sick, my mum took us to the Company Hospital for treatment. A permanent fixture of the Company Hospital was the Compounder, Mr. Krishna Murthy. I can still remember Mr. Krishna Murthy measuring out the bright, pink Carminative Mixture from huge glass jars and doling out bottles of the stuff as a panacea for all illnesses.

We had to stand in line before the dispensing window of the Pharmacy and when it was our turn we’d climb on the window sill to watch him do the honours. He was ‘Uncle Compounder’ to all of us kids.
I also remember that the Pharmacy always had a strong odour of B Complex Tablets. Huge bottles of B Complex Tablets were lined up on the shelves of the Pharmacy. The doctors prescribed B Complex Tablets for almost every patient along with the other medicines, so the hospital bought these tablets in huge quantities.