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.