Mangaluru: The Father Muller Charitable Institutions was conferred with the ” ACCE (I) Mlr-UltraTech Jury Special Award for “out of the box thinking” in design and construction of Reinforced Concrete Structures (Infrastructure) award in all four districts of Karnataka, namely Chikmagalur, Shimoga, Dakshin Kannada, and Udupi.
The award is constituted by the engineering body, Association of Consulting Civil Engineers (India) Mangalore Center. The ACCE MLR Center in association with Ultra Tech Cements has been conducting the awards since 2007 and has been well received by the public of the districts. The main intention of the award is to create a positive competitive spirit among the Engineers, Builders, Contractors, and Owners so that the best quality of construction practices and concrete utility prevails.
The award was bestowed to the FMCI on the 8th of January 2020 in a grand gala ceremony “AWARD NITE 2019” in the Milagres Hall Complex. Rev. Fr Richard A. Coelho, Director FMCI and Rev. Fr Ajith B. Menezes, Administrator FMMC received the award. The award is not new for FMCI as in 2017 that received the best well built concreted infrastructure in Dakshin Kannada for the Father Muller Convention Center, located at the Pumpwell side of the campus.
The Overhead water tank was commissioned in February 2017 with the architectural design of Mr. Praveen Saldanha of the Saldanha Associates and Structural Engineer Mr. Anil Hegde in association with construction group Diwakar Constructions.
The water tank in itself exudes modern innovative architecture through its inverted pyramid design on slender piers. The overhead tank has a capacity of 3 lakh liters and has an underground sump attached to it having 20 lakh liters. It was blest & put into service by the Bishop of Mangalore; Rev. Dr. Peter Paul Saldanha who is also the President of FMCI on 13th March 2019. The need for the tank arose with the ever-growing water demands for various utility purposes within the Father Muller Charitable Institutions, Kankanady Campus.
The campus houses the largest bedded super specialty hospital in the region with over 1250 beds of which more than 850 beds are free beds. The campus also has educational units namely, Father Muller Medical College(FMMC), Father Muller College of Nursing (FMCON), Father Muller School of Nursing (FMSON), Father Muller College of Allied Health Sciences, Father Muller College of Speech and Hearing, Leprosy Hospital, Vailankani De-addiction center, Psychiatric Hospital, Rehabilitation center, Hostels, Father Muller Convention Center, Father Muller Research Center, Father Muller Indoor Stadium and Gym, the Utility Building (housing the pharmacy, bank, canteen, Homeopathic OPD), Cafeteria and Dietaries Block, the Maintenance block and the powerhouse and heart of the campus – St Joseph Chapel.
The campus accommodates 2500 faculty and staff and around 5000 students and in full capacity around 2500 patients and bystanders. The OPD itself on an average day caters to around 2000 out patient’s footfall per day.
With the infrastructural need and the human resource it caters to, a large amount of potable water is required to maintain its smooth running. With water recharging and water waste management systems in place, the campus has been able to save water and ration its need.
It’s a proud moment for the FMCI, which follows the principle laid down by Jesus Christ; to do good deeds in secrecy and silence. The institution has been succor to the sick and health seekers. The charitable nature in itself has echoed its magnanimity in the region and world over. The Health Check-up schemes given by the institution every Christmas season has seen a bevy of health enthusiasts availing the services.
