Senior doctors and former superintendants of Osmania General Hospital (OGH) have called for granting autonomy to teaching hospitals in the city.
With successive governments showing little interest in improving the funding pattern for teaching hospitals, making them ‘quasi-autonomous’ bodies is the only way forward to save State-run hospitals in Hyderabad and elsewhere, they said.
Financial freedom
Interacting with reporters on Wednesday, former OGH superintendents said that increased financial and managerial autonomy to public hospitals under continued government control was the best possible solution.
According to them, autonomy also means independence in recruitments, administrative decisions on purchase of medical equipment and quick operationalisation of services.
Responsible workers
“There is no accountability in government hospitals. Autonomy status like in AIIMS, PGI (Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh) and NIMS will improve facilities and make workers responsible towards patients.
Ultimately, even medical professionals in government hospitals have to look inwards and introspect where they are going wrong,” feels CEO, Mediciti and an OGH alumni Dr. C. Venkat S. Ram.
Doctors meet CM
As part of the Osmania Medical College Old Students Association Trust, the senior doctors met Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on Tuesday, to submit a memorandum that highlighted infrastructural deficiencies at the hospital.
“In short term, there is an immediate need to improve infrastructure like emergency block, provide proper beds among other things. The State Government should immediately release the sanctioned Rs. 200 crore and start construction work of the new OGH building,” former OGH superintendent and senior nephrologist, Dr. A. Gopal Kishan said.
The senior doctors also threatened to take up protests if the State Government failed to announce immediate measures to improve infrastructure at OGH.
“We are senior citizens but will not hesitate to take up public protests for the cause. There is an urgent need for the State Government to improve facilities at OGH,” they said.
