Govt to raze OGH heritage' structure to build new one

HYDERABAD: The state government has finally decided to demolish the old Osmania General Hospital (OGH) building and construct a new one in its place.

In an affidavit dated July 27 that was submitted to the High Court, the state government said that the old building was found unfit for any kind of patient care and the building, along with other satellite structures would be removed and a new one would be constructed in the 35.76 lakh square feet area.

The affidavit stated that it was a consensus decision that was arrived at during a meeting of ministers Mahmood Ali and Talsani Srinivas, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, and officials from health department, GHMC, MA&UD, R&B and OGH representatives.

It was found that the existing building had become ‘structurally unsafe’ for patients, which was why all patients were vacated in 2020, thereby decreasing the bed strength from 1,385 to 1,100. The overcrowding in wards and posed challenges like sanitation.

In April 2022, the government had constituted an expert committee to study and assess the structural stability of the old building. The panel’s report submitted in December, recommended that ‘the condition of the building is not safe for use in its present condition and cannot be used for hospital purposes at all”.

It pointed out that the structure could be repaired and put to use for non-hospital purposes. Since it was listed as a heritage building, appropriate conservation repairs had to be undertaken, the committee observed.

During the meeting, OGH superintendent Dr B. Nagender had stated that 1,812 additional beds were required to cater to the patient load.

As per the R& B department, the construction of new OGH building with a bed capacity of 1,800 would need a sizeable built-up area in order to meet Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS).

Established in 1866, the building has a built-up area of 2.44 lakh square feet with a capacity of 400 beds. The protected heritage building under regulation 13 of the HMDA Act, has been lying in an abandoned state for the last three years.