Hyderabad: No takers for TIMS in Covid times

Hyderabad: TIMS, Gachibowli was projected as the new health facility where even people from poor backgrounds were assured of medical treatment being seen in super-specialty or corporate hospitals. It was set to start operations initially with corona treatment, in addition to the designated nodal hospital - Gandhi in the State.

It's been almost 100 days since Gachibowli hospital announcement was made but is yet to admit its first corona patient for treatment. The Covid tally in the State was nearly 350 cases when the new health facility was announced and at present the total number of cases has crossed 34,600 already while TIMS is yet to join battle against Covid in the State.

Gachibowli hospital made the buzz in April with those in power proclaiming that government had readied a multi-specialty hospital in just 10 days which even China, the country where the virus originated, could not achieve.

After the initial buzz in April, TIMS had gone silent until health minister Eatala Rajender made a surprise inspection towards June end and announced that it would start functioning in the next few days. On June 27, he announced that staff recruitment (499 in all) was also completed and they would be joining duties from June 29. However, it did not go as planned.

Nurses and other medical staff had shown interest in TIMS job, but the very key doctors' fraternity were reluctant for two reasons-the appointment was contract based (for one year) and salaries fixed were not on par with doctors in State hospitals.

Joining TIMS for lesser pay and for just one year and also serving only corona patients risking lives was not worth it, was the general feeling among the doctors. Hence only 120 doctor posts of the earmarked 215 posts (professors, associate professors, assistant professors, civil assistant surgeons, medical officers) were filled.

Health department is trying in vain to fill the doctor posts from last few days and there is no word on what all posts are filled till now.

Covid patients are still being admitted in Gandhi Hospital as far as government hospitals are concerned while four Ayush hospitals in the State are serving as isolation centres where positive patients with mild symptoms are being provided accommodation as they lacked home isolation facilities.

TGDA-DH president Dr Lalu Prasad Rathod urged the government to commence Covid treatment at TIMS at the earliest as it would instill confidence in the general public as cases continue to rise in the State. He also stressed on focussing on permanent recruitments for the staff.

Considering the Covid urgency one-year appointments are being made but permanent recruitments offer the best option for future as government is desiring to transform it along lines of prestigious institutes like AIIMS, Dr Lalu Prasad said.