Telangana Doctors Association demand new Osmania General Hospital Building

The current heritage structure, established over a century ago by the
Nizams, is in immediate need of repair, raising serious concerns about patient
safety and the hospital’s ability to serve the increasing number of patients. 

Despite assurances from the previous BRS government to address these
issues, no significant progress has been made. The TGDA questioned why the same
urgency applied to building the new Secretariat was not extended to the OGH’s
needs. The association also criticized the government’s non-compliance with the
Heritage Act procedures, reports Deccan Chronicle.

The association proposed alternative locations for the new hospital,
including the Chanchalguda jail area and the nearby government printing press,
which is situated on approximately 35 acres of land. Another suggestion was
converting Goshamahal Stadium into hospital premises which will provide an
additional 30 acres for the construction, reports The Daily. They emphasized that a state-of-the-art
facility can be constructed using the area to offer super-speciality services
across various departments, requiring a total of 40 acres.

Dr Ramesh Barigela, association founding president, highlighting the
inadequacies of the existing structure, said, “The OGH building, both in
terms of treatment capacity and physical space, is grossly insufficient. We
were promised that it would be taken down, yet only drawings and unfulfilled
promises have surfaced.” 

The conference was attended by Prof M. Kodandaram, Dr N. Krishna
Reddy, chairman of the OMC Alumni Trust, and Dr S. Krishna Murthy, secretary
of the OMC Alumni Association. Among the key demands from the discussions, the demolition
of the old heritage structure may be mentioned. The structure occupies only six of the 26.5-acre
site and using the area for a modern hospital has been in talks. 

The doctors urged the government to take steps to improve the health
sector, stating that their proposals help save Osmania Medical College’s
legacy as well as enable the facility to serve as a leading medical
institution nationwide.