The development committee of the Government General Hospital, which met on Saturday, approved the spending of Rs.50 lakh for purchasing equipment and developing certain facilities.
The meeting witnessed heated arguments between TDP MLAs Devineni Umamaheswara Rao (Mylavaram) and Dasari Balavardhana Rao (Gannavaram) on one hand and Minister K. Parthasarathy on the other, over the alleged “deliberate sidelining of TDP MLAs”.
Mr. Umamaheswara Rao alleged that the Minister and the district authorities had deliberately not invited them to the meeting as they were raising important issues concerning the hospital and lack of facilities for patients. A GO issued in 2006 was being cited to argue that only the MLAs representing the city should be invited to the meeting, though it had been a practice for the last few years to invite all the MLAs of the district, and especially the ones representing the areas adjacent to the city.
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Mr. Umamaheswara Rao took reporters around the hospital to drive home the point that several basic facilities like air-conditioning in burns ward were woefully lacking. He presented a list of important works to be taken up to the Minister, before walking out of the meeting.
Even as district Collector Peeyush Kumar, who is the chairperson of the committee, told the TDP MLAs that they could represent the matter to the State government for reconsideration, Mr. Umamaheswara Rao said he would only launch an agitation along with patients if he was not invited for the next meeting.
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The Minister told reporters that the GO for construction of a super speciality hospital was expected to be issued very soon.
About the decisions taken in the development committee, Mr. Parthasarathy said an administrative officer would soon be appointed for the smooth running of the hospital.
Steps would be taken to allow private ambulances too into the GGH premises.
MPs Lagadapati Rajagopal (Vijayawada), Konakalla Narayana Rao (Machilipatnam), MLAs Malladi Vishnu (Vijayawada Central), Vellampalli Srinivas (Vijayawada West), Yelamanchili Ravi (Vijayawada East), Mayor M.V. Ratna Bindu, DMHO U. Prasada Rao, Siddhartha Medical College Principal T.J. Prasanna Kumar and others were present.