WARANGAL: Less than two days after a portion of the false ceiling collapsed in the Aarogyasri ward of MGM Hospital, ceiling plaster peeled off and fell in the Respiratory Intensive Care Unit (RICU) and physiotherapy departments on Tuesday.
A major accident was averted as no patients or staff were present in the affected areas when the plaster fell. The incident came a day after Director of Medical Education (DME) Dr N Vani visited MGM Hospital and inspected the premises.
The repeated incidents have raised concerns among patients and attendants about the condition of the old hospital building, where peeling and damaged ceiling plaster has become a safety concern.
MGM Hospital, one of the largest government hospitals serving northern Telangana, caters to around 500-600 outpatients daily and has a 1,000-bed inpatient facility. Many patients from villages across the erstwhile Warangal district depend on the hospital for treatment.
The hospital’s deteriorating infrastructure has also raised concerns as Warangal is being developed as a medical hub, with the state government constructing a super-speciality hospital at the Central Prison site.
Hospital officials did not immediately respond to queries about Tuesday’s incident. Police personnel were deployed at the hospital’s three main gates purportedly to prevent media personnel from entering the premises.
Former chief whip injured in scuffle
Warangal: A scuffle broke out at MGM Hospital after police allegedly stopped former chief whip Dasyam Vinay Bhaskar from entering the premises, with the BRS leader alleging that a police staff member beat him in the abdomen and that his leg and hand were injured. Vinay Bhaskar said he went to the hospital to meet patients injured in the recent ceiling collapse. “It is not Praja Palana (people’s governance). The authorities are using their position to obstruct the opposition parties,” he said, demanding that restrictions on opposition leaders visiting patients at the hospital be lifted. The former MLA also alleged that the government had failed to carry out repairs at MGM Hospital for three years, resulting in deterioration of the roof and injuries to patients. He accused the state government of neglecting patients and failing to ensure adequate diagnostic facilities at government hospitals. Bhaskar questioned the hospital superintendent over restrictions allegedly imposed on members of the public and opposition representatives. Later, Matwada police shifted Bhaskar to a private hospital in Hanamkonda for treatment.
