OGH was let to rot for ulterior motives
Poor maintenance of Osmania General Hospital's (OGH) heritage structure and possible ulterior motives are said to be the two main reasons for the infrastructural crisis in the building over the flooding.
The collapse of the storm water drain in the OGH building premises was because the sewers around have inappropriate road work and were also choking due to waste. Well-wishers of OGH who comprise doctors, heritage lovers, history buffs and enthusiasts, are upset that the basic maintenance of the hospital has been constantly and continuously neglected.
The latest decision to seal the heritage building that served as the inpatient block, comes after moderate rains in the area led to unprecedented flooding of the wards throwing patient care into disarray. The repeated flooding in the past few days was a result of poor planning and execution of road work inside the hospital by the Telangana state medical services and infrastructure corporation. This was first announced by the hospital authorities who inspected the premises after the first flooding on July 12.
The roads were laid in such a manner that they practically choked off the drain cover openings in the hospital premises that resulted in the first instance of flooding.
Three days later, on July 15, the hospital was flooded for the second time, not just with rain water but with sewage-laced water that entered the premises after overflowing because of drains choked in the nearby Begum Bazar area, according to officials.
Meanwhile, there are also allegations that the government has allowed the situation to get worse allegedly because the move would benefit private hospitals as the number of beds available at OGH will fall.
Dr Iqbal Jaweed, executive member of Osmania medical college alumni association said that the conspiracy to ruin OGH has been started by sealing the building. Outraged, he said “This step is a pre-planned move and it has been carried out with the motive. We are not going to allow this heritage building to be ruined. It is the alma matter of medical studies in the city and there is no way it can be ruined in this manner.”
Junior doctors state that the building’s condition is very bad and there were multiple instances of chunks of plaster from the ceiling falling on patients. An Osmania junior doctors' association representative said “For long there has been a need for a new building in this hospital and the government has delayed it. This hospital gives the best possible treatment to the patients as well exposure to student doctors to learn about diseases and treatment methods, which no other corporate hospital or college can provide.”