Eight years on, CM's new OGH building plan remains only on paper

Hyderabad: It has been eight years since Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao promised the construction of a new building of Osmania General Hospital (OGH) but except for assurances there has been no progress even as the doctors and staff have been facing inconvenience with lack of infrastructure. The Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association has demanded the government to allocate the newly constructed Secretariat building for the hospital.

There were several requests to the government from the hospital staff and others with the several incidents of falling of roof and ceiling on the doctors and patients, the old building of the hospital was closed in July 2020. The issue went to the court and the High Court formed a committee with experts and asked it to submit the report. The committee submitted its report stating that the condition of the building was not good and was not in a position to use for the hospital. The committee wanted the government to preserve the heritage building.

The doctors said that the State government was yet to take call on the construction of the new building. In the recent past, during his visit to the hospital, the Health Minister T Harish Rao had said that the new building would be constructed without disturbing the existing heritage building. However, there is no progress on the construction.

It may be recalled that the Chief Minister Chandrashekar Rao visited the hospital in 2015 and promised to construct a new hospital in the place of the existing building. During his visit he had said that the building may not sustain and may collapse anytime since it lacks strength.

The doctors said that the existing facility had become congested and at times the patients are treated on the floor. A senior doctor said that even the doctors have no idea which patient he would be treating. The doctor said that they along with the alumni of the hospital had taken up a rally from OGH to the Medical College demanding the government to take up construction of a new building. The doctor said that the Rosaiah Government had also released Rs 200 Crore for the hospital but nothing had happened.

When asked, the OGH superintendent Dr B Nagendar refused to comment on the issue stating that it was under the court's jurisdiction. However, he said that the services were being provided to the patients as usual.

The Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association President K Mahesh Kumar said that the government had to submit its response to the Court on February 7 but there is no clarity on it. "Our demand is that the government should allocate the newly constructed secretariat for the hospital.

The government can run administration from the Osmania building since it has been said that the administration can be taken up," said Dr Mahesh Kumar. He further said that the government should take a decision as soon as possible keeping in view the inconvenience caused to the patients as well as the doctors.