A clamour to make it mandatory for all government staff and politicians to get admitted to government hospitals for treatment in case of health emergencies is growing. Doctors of the government hospitals feel that this is to be the only way facilities at Osmania General Hospital (OGH) and other tertiary hospitals will improve.
The very fact that a majority of the Dilsukhnagar twin bomb blast victims had to be shifted to corporate hospitals from OGH reflects lack of commitment to improve facilities in State-run hospitals, members of the medical fraternity from government hospitals here feel. “By shifting blast victims to private hospitals, the State government displayed lack of faith in their own institutions and doctors. All VIPs including Prime Minister met blast victims, but no one acknowledged the role of OGH,” is a very common refrain.
Senior doctors are already lobbying to make VIP admissions to government hospitals mandatory. “If every government servant and politicians get admitted to OGH, then I am sure the situation will improve. There are glaring lapses and delays in improving infrastructure at OGH,” points out senior Nephrologist and former Superintendant, OGH, Dr. A. Gopal Kishan.
Many also believe that Arogyasri has played a big role in the slow death of OGH and other tertiary hospitals in the State. “Government is spending close to Rs.12,000 crore every year on Arogyasri and nearly 90 per cent of the funds go to private hospitals. Why can’t the government invest such money in government hospitals?” asks president, OGH Government Doctor’s Association, Dr. B. Nagender.
The OGH is a classic example of bureaucracy in play. The administrative sanction of Rs. 200 crore to build a new building was accorded in November, 2010. Till now, the new OGH project remains mired in red tape at the cost of patients. The OGH campus was designed to serve only 400 patients and yet, over 2,000 patients in the inpatient and another 1,500 patients in the outpatient wings visit daily.
