Govt renames Maharaja Hospital in Vizianagaram

Visakhapatnam: The state government on Thursday renamed the decades-old Maharaja government headquarter hospital as Government General Hospital.

A billboard having the new name was fixed on Thursday evening, and many were surprised at seeing this on Friday morning. This comes shortly after the state government renamed the NTR Health University as YSR Health University.

The hospital was established decades ago by the Maharajas of the Vizianagaram dynasty represented by the Pusapati family. The hospital has 22 acres of land, of which 12 acres are lying vacant. The government plans to provide additional specialties once the medical college starts functioning there.

The opposition TD took strong exception to the state government renaming the hospital. TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu tweeted that the change of the name in Vizianagaram was another 'tughlaqian act' of chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

The government had drawn flak for changing the name of the health university. "CM Jagan’s attitude has not changed. He has to back down on the decisions he is taking against the will of the people," Naidu tweeted.

TD general secretary Nara Lokesh said chief minister Jagan Reddy was deriving sadistic pleasure in changing the names of prominent institutions. He said Jagan Reddy was changing the names as he has failed to develop the state.

Lokesh regretted that the name of N.T. Rama Rao was removed from the health university started by him.

Former MLA of Vizianagaram Meesala Gita also objected to the government changing the name of the hospital.

“The Maharajas of Vizianagaram established the hospital in their land when the government had no funds to do so,’’ the former MLA said and added that the government should focus on development rather than changing names of established institutions.

However, the people generally ignored the name change. There was no discussion on this among the patients and their attendants, hospital sources said.