TIMS-Gachibowli: from pandemic saviour to empty halls, a tale of abandonment

The hospital currently operates without inpatient services and only two doctors manage the outpatient cases.

In case of emergencies, patients are redirected to the Area Hospital Kondapur, says an official from the hospital’s administrative department. File photo | Photo Credit: The Hindu

Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences (TIMS) Gachibowli, once hailed as the heroic saviour during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, has now been reduced to a desolate facility, with fewer patients visiting it.

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The hospital currently operates without inpatient (IP) services and only two doctors manage the outpatient (OP) cases. The daily average for OP cases has decreased to a mere 30 patients, with just 15 patients showing up on Saturday. Such is the dire state of affairs that the hospital has resorted to keeping OP records in a conventional register.

In stark contrast to its inception in 2020 with 1,261 beds, including 137 ICU beds, TIMS-Gachibowli no longer accommodates inpatients. In case of emergencies, patients are redirected to the Area Hospital Kondapur, said an official from the hospital’s administrative department. The once bustling hospital parking area, where patients and attenders struggled to find space for vehicles, now lies vacant, said a security guard stationed outside the premises.

During the peak of the COVID-19 crisis, TIMS Gachibowli was a bustling hub staffed by over 1,000 doctors and support personnel, who worked round the clock. The staff comprised 290 doctors; 325 staff nurses; 148 paramedical and office staff; and 350 support staff. Currently, the workforce has dwindled to 20. A receptionist at the hospital said all doctors and staff who were once part of TIMS have been deployed to various government hospitals in the city and neighbouring districts.

Future hangs in balance

A senior health official indicated that matters pertaining to the hospital’s future will be attended to after the election.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Telangana government decided to repurpose the Gachibowli sports hostel building into a dedicated COVID-19 treatment facility. The hospital came into being through a government order on April 25, 2020. As part of its ambitious plan to establish four multi-speciality hospitals across Hyderabad, the government intended to establish four TIMS facilities in Gachibowli, Sanath Nagar, Alwal and LB Nagar.

As per the TIMS-Gachibowli yearbook for 2020-21, the hospital’s first recorded COVID-19 case emerged on July 12, 2020. From that point until the end of June 2021, the hospital treated over 12,000 cases in the OP department and over 9,500 IP cases.