HYDERABAD: As many as 43 students of Osmania Medical College (OMC) were rushed to Gandhi Hospital and Fever Hospital late on Monday night after they complained of severe diarrhoea and nausea. The students, who belong to various batches, were diagnosed with food poisoning and are currently being treated at the hospital. Several others are continuing treatment in the hostel premise as their illness is manageable.
It is being investigated whether these students got the infection from one of the staff at the college canteen who was suffering from fever, chills and diarrhoea. The canteen is also being run through with medical investigations for the same. “The condition of the students is stable and they will be discharged by Tuesday night. They have been admitted in a dedicated ward for doctors at Gandhi Hospital,” said OMC Principal Dr P Shashikala.
The incident turned into a major controversy after the students were admitted to Gandhi Hospital for treatment instead of Osmania General Hospital, where the junior doctor’s practice and which is nearer to their college. It is learnt that the students were initially taken to Fever Hospital and then shifted to Gandhi because Osmania had space issues.
“What is the use of calling Osmania Medical College a tertiary care centre if it can’t even treat its own doctors for suspected food poisoning? Isn’t this a failure of the Telangana government for not giving proper infrastructure and of the National Medical Council for giving permissions without proper infrastructure?,” said Dr PS Vijayender, Convenor, Telangana Doctors Federation.“OGH is not suitable for the treatment of public representatives, government employees, the hospital’s own department heads and students of the same college. Then who is it useful for?” he added.
No space for sick docs at crowded OGH
The incident turned into a major controversy after the junior doctors were admitted to Gandhi Hospital for treatment instead of Osmania General Hospital, where the doctors practice, as Osmania had space issues. It is learnt that the students were initially taken to Fever Hospital and then shifted to Gandhi Hospital