It was way back in 1978 when, after my preclinicals, I first stepped inside Osmania General Hospital; I was 20 years old. My batch and I were on cloud nine because we were getting an opportunity to study in one of the best colleges in the country.
In 1988, I completed my MS in general surgery and stood first in my batch in Osmania Medical College. I joined the hospital as a research assistant and worked there till 1992 after which I left for the UK.
Did you know that OGH along with its allied hospitals is one of the largest in the world when it comes to the number of beds (5,000), second only to Harvard University Health Services? We need to build up on our strengths rather than demolish the structure that is an integral part of our city’s heritage.
Back in the day, there were no corporate hospitals, every MP, MLA, IAS etc. would come to OGH for medical assistance. Shankar Dayal Sharma, who was the vice-president of India at that time, had come to OGH for two surgeries. Such was the standard of the hospital. Even the ward boys were so efficient that we learned how to apply a bandage, splint a fractured limb, carry an injured patient etc., from them rather than the professors. I even remember the first injection I gave to a patient named, Yadayya, with a nurse teaching me to do it.
Once a week, we used to be posted at the emergency wing from 2 pm till next day 9 am, and we would assist in the surgeries, the count for which was as high as 40 per day. We used to be a team of seven doctors and we had so much of work that we barely had time to sleep.
The hospital, with its enormous clinical material, made us who we are today. We owe everything to OGH.
From 1978 to 1992, 14 years of my life was spent in a hospital that taught me everything and now that the decision has been made to demolish it, I am compelled to do something to prevent that. The experts have commented that the structure can remain standing for the next 200 years, but all it requires is proper maintenance. I have got in touch with seniors and colleagues from OGH, who are now established specialists in the UK and USA and they are willing to spend time at the hospital, take a few classes and help the institute get back to its feet.
(The writer is a Surgical Gastroenterologist & Laparoscopic Surgeon Apollo & Challa Hospitals, Hyderabad)
