Ailing Osmania General Hospital cries for urgent cure

Ailing Osmania General Hospital cries for urgent cure
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Highlights

Osmania General Hospital (OGH) is in dire need of repairs as the monsoon is round corner. But, authorities seem to be adopting lackadaisical attitude. Though the government released Rs 200 crore grant way back 2010 for the construction of a new block, there has been no progress until now.

​Hyderabad: Osmania General Hospital (OGH) is in dire need of repairs as the monsoon is round corner. But, authorities seem to be adopting lackadaisical attitude. Though the government released Rs 200 crore grant way back 2010 for the construction of a new block, there has been no progress until now.

The TS Medical and Infrastructure Development Corporation is assigned to maintain and undertake repair works. In spite of Rs 200 crore grants, senior officials at OGH said only cosmetic repairs were carried out and not more than Rs 35-Rs 40 crore were spent in the last few years.

  • Though the government has released Rs 200 crore way back in 2010 for construction of a new block, authorities have not so far taken the project forward
  • Chips are flaking in inpatient block which also houses general medicine, general surgery, gastroenterology, surgical gastroenterology, neurology and orthopaedic departments

The staff is on tenterhooks as the rains could put the patients as well as the medical staff at risk. In the last few weeks, chips and flakes have been coming off inside the IP block which has about 4oo patients and houses general medicine, general surgery, gastroenterology, surgical gastroentero logy, neurology and orthopaedic departments.

On an average, the hospital has 1,500-2,000 outpatients and 1,400 inpatients. Last year, Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) submitted a report to the State government stating that the building only needs repairs and can stand for another hundred years. Dr A Gopal Kishan of Osmania Medical College Old Students Association Trust said, “The central structure which is a heritage building just needs repairs, the foundation is strong.”

In the past, repair work did not take place as the ‘heritage tag’ hindered all efforts. Out of the six theatres, the emergency operation theatre is closed for want of equipment. Out of the total 25.86 acres, the IP block is in 2.37 acres. “New buildings can come without demolishing the IP block; OGH has been an iconic hospital and has a great history that treated several Chief Ministers and prominent personalities. The government needs to wake up and begin work,” said Dr Gopal Kishan

During the protests in November in 2015, patients from four departments of the IP block of OGH were moved to Petlaburj Government Maternity Hospital. But, patients returned over a period of time and it was back to square one. Doctors were unwilling to go all the way to the government maternity hospital to treat patients and it is one of the reasons for the patients returning to the hospital.

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