HYDERABAD : The fusion of old and new elements both forms and trans-forms the skyline of this city. A monument caught in a debate between preserving the past and embracing the future is Osmania General Hospital. Originally established in 1866 as Afzalgunj Hospital, it relocated to its current site on the south bank of the Musi River in 1926. Since then, the hospital has borne witness to medical breakthroughs, tirelessly serving thousands of patients and training hundreds of doctors and nurses.
Among its significant milestones, Afzalgunj Hospital hosted one of the first chloroform trials in 1888 as part of the Hyderabad Chloroform Commission, sponsored by Nizam V, Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, and led by Dr Edward Lawrie.
The hospital also boasts the distinction of nurturing the world’s first female anaesthetist, Rupa Bai Furdoonji, who played a pivotal role in these commissions. The present site also housed Hyderabad Medical School, where Nobel laureate Sir Ronald Ross made the discovery of malaria.
Following the devastation caused by the 1908 Musi floods, the original structure was washed away. On the directive of Nizam VI, Mir Osman Ali Khan, the present building was erected, and designed by British architect Vincent Jerome Esch in Indo-Sarcenic style.
A majestic tamarind tree stands in front of the main heritage block, commemorated with a cement plaque recounting how it served as a lifeline during the floods as 150 individuals clung to its branches, escaping the deluge. Beneath its protective canopy lies a memorial grave, honouring the lives lost to the calamity.
Author Dinesh C Sharma writes in an article that the main building had “17 domes of various sizes, of which nine appeared on the front of the façade, two at the two ends, two in the intermediate and five in the centre at different levels. The octogen below the largest dome had glazed windows. The top platform was constructed with rolled steel beams covered with cement concrete. A park was developed along the hospital building to give it an exquisite look.”
The architectural design is unique and in line with other buildings in the city of that time. The fate of the building is now in legal hands. Heritage conservationists have appealed to the Chief Minister of Telangana to save the building as it is one of the very few standing pieces of evidence of the history and heritage of Telangana.