Telangana Budget: Doctors allege neglect of health care sector by state government

Hyderabad: Doctors complain that the cause of development of Osmania General Hospital, including construction of new buildings and improvement of infrastructure, has been neglected by the state government.

“The heritage building and the new building are in need of improvement, but there is no allocation for this in Budget,” said Telangana Government Doctors Association member Dr C. Ramesh.

"In the ongoing pandemic, there is a need for more healthcare workers but there are no proper recruitments. The contracts of healthcare workers were not renewed and this is adding to the pressure on the staff. Health is not a priority for the government due to which infrastructure challenges are being faced," he said.

The Budget allocated Rs 6,295 crore for health which medical and health officials said was too low. They said the pressure on the government hospitals was high and to cope with it, improvements in the infrastructure and manpower requirements were urgently required.

Dr Mohammed Iqbal Jaweed, executive committee member of Osmania Alumni Association, said, "There is no fund allotment for OGH and Dabirpura TB Hospital. Both required more funds as they cater to the needs of a large number of people. In OGH, the beds are full and admission of patients are not matching with requirement. With the second wave of Covid-19 around, and facilities are limited, many needy are referred to private hospitals."

The state government has stressed on creating a network of basti dawakhanas, of which some 224 have been set up, where 196 types of medicines are available and 56 types of medical tests are conducted. During the pandemic, the government claims to have spent '1,178.28 crore for setting up isolation centres, organising medicines, beds, food and other necessities.

Also, 1,200 Covid testing centres were set up in the state.