HYDERABAD: A government proposal to distribute the four medical units of Chest hospital and six units of IMH among various government hospitals including Osmania General hospital, Gandhi hospital and MGM hospital in Warangal, has met with stiff resistance from doctors. The superintendents of the two hospitals cited practical difficulties in distributing the units at a recent meeting convened by the district medical officer.
This comes at a time when the government is preparing blue print to construct a grand building to house Secretariat, Legislative Assembly and Council on the 100-odd acre plot that houses the Government Chest Hospital and Institute of Mental Health in Erragadda.
According to sources, the director of medical education had convened a meeting with the superintendents of both the hospitals last week. Relocating Chest hospital to TB Sanatorium in Ananthagiri has been in the priority list with the government issuing a GO with an administrative sanction of over `7 cr to spruce up the facility there. It is learnt that the two superintendents have cited practical difficulties in shifting the facilities. When contacted by Express, director of medical education Dr M Ramani refused to comment.
Similarly, Dr A Sai Kumar, superintendent of Chest hospital and Dr V Pramod Kumar too refused to comment. While the superintendent of Chest hospital is learnt to have accepted shifting of the hospital provided with a separate identity (by not merging its units with other government hospitals), superintendent of IMH is learnt to have informed the HOD it was impossible to shift the facilities considering the large number of mentally disturbed patients.
With the World TB Day set to be celebrated on March 24, the fate of Chest hospital which is considered pioneers in TB treatment in South India hangs in balance. A senior professor at Chest hospital added, “TB is no more a disease that needs hospitalisation. But the condition of hundreds of patients admitted here is extremely critical.”
Among TB patients here are those affected with Pnemothorax (with collection of air in lungs), Pleural Effusions (collection of fluids in lungs), Haemoptysis (coughing out blood), respiratory failure (both lungs damaged), XDR TB (extensively drug resistant TB) and Extensive TB (general condition poor). Patients were admitted after they responded adversely to TB drugs.
According to another professor, the Medical Council of India requires the referral centres or tertiary hospitals to be located within a distance of 10 km from the medical college, OGH in the case of these two hospitals. “There are 30 PG students each in Chest hospital and IMH apart from hundreds of MBBS and PG students who arrive here for training. If the hospitals are shifted, it will affect their career,” added the professor stating almost all doctors have agreed to government proposal but are seeking viable relocation.
Roadblock in shifting chest hosp
Hyderabad: To a query as to why is it impossible to shift the 670-bed Chest hospital with an average inflow of 250 out patients daily and the 600-bed IMH with a daily inflow of 500 out patients, out from its present location?, a senior doctor at IMH, on condition of anonymity, said: “We have no doubts about availability of funds or political will of the government. Either temporarily or on the long run, we do not want patients to suffer.” Further, he added that change of atmosphere will disturb the patients. “Sending our patients to different hospitals by creating a space among general hospitals will disturb them.”