Hyderabad: Two months after junior doctors went on strike, their demand for a hostel building came to fruition on Friday as ministers Damodar Rajanarsimha and Ponnam Prabhakar laid the foundation stone for the construction of new hostel buildings at Osmania Medical College (OMC) in Koti. The hostel for girls and boys and a new floor to the girls' hostel will be constructed at a cost of ₹121 crore.
Describing OMC as a brand and synonymous with Hyderabad, Rajanarsimha stressed the importance of investing in government infrastructure. "Government hospitals must be on par with private hospitals. For the past 30 years, several unresolved issues have persisted. But now we have ensured that the doctors' demands are fulfilled. Transfers were made to strengthen the system," the health minister said.
Rajnarsimha said that the government had sanctioned funds for the new Osmania General Hospital buildings. "Our government is constructing a modern Osmania Hospital on 32 acres of land with state-of-the-art facilities. Although the matter is in court, we have decided to construct a new building in the Goshamahal area. In a month or two, we will lay the foundation stone for the new Osmania Hospital building too," minister Rajanarsimha added.
Later, the ministers handed over appointment letters to 285 lab technicians in the public health department. A notification has been issued to appoint 1,284 people who will also receive their letters soon, the health minister said. Additionally, 1,300 more posts will be released next year.
OMC Principal Dr Nagendra Kumar said there were four girls and five boys hostels in Osmania University accommodating 450 girls and 820 boys respectively but these buildings are in a dilapidated state. Hence, new hostels are a compelling requirement.
"OMC is the only college in the country with 10 affiliated hospitals. It has the highest clinical load in the country and the highest number of PG seats. It is the only hospital in the Telugu states to have an ISO recognition. About 3,772 students are studying presently with 1,250 in UG courses, 1,480 in PG, 60 in B.Sc. MLT and 858 in B.Sc. Allied Health Sciences," Dr Nagendra Kumar said.
The members of the Telangana Junior Doctors' Association thanked the government for the speedy fulfillment of their demands.
