Telangana CM should drop idea of demolishing Secretariat, instead construct new building for OGH: Congress

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president and Nalgonda MP Captain N Uttam Kumar Reddy demanded that Chief Minister KC Rao should drop the "non-sense idea" of the demolition of Secretariat and start constructing a new building for the Osmania General Hospital (OGH) while protecting the heritage structure.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president and Nalgonda MP Captain N Uttam Kumar Reddy demanded that Chief Minister KC Rao should drop the "non-sense idea" of the demolition of Secretariat and start constructing a new building for the Osma General Hospital (OGH) while protecting the heritage structure.

Accomped by senior Congress leaders, Reddy visited the OGH and inspected the wards which were submerged in rainwater Wednesday onwards. He inspected the stormwater drain from where rainwater entered the hospital. He also had a detailed interaction with the Incharge Superintendent, the Resident Medical Officer and patients.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said, "The stormwater entering the wards housing in-patients reflects the poor functioning of CM KC Rao and his government and the chief minister must be ashamed of himself. He said Osma Hospital was the most prestigious and well-known government hospital not just in Telangana, but in combined Andhra Pradesh and also in parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka."

"But the hospital, under KC Rao's regime, has reached a stage where minor rains submerge the functional wards causing huge inconvenience to the patients admitted there. He said that the submergence of OGH wards, especially during the time of Corona pandemic, reflects the attitude of KC Rao government towards public health," he added.

The TPCC chief said that the Incharge Superintendent informed them that nearly 150 doctors, including full-time Superintendent, were tested positive for COVID-19. "This shows the quality and untimely delivery of PPE kits given to doctors," he said.

Uttam Kumar Reddy demanded that the heritage building of OGH must be protected and strengthened in the way other heritage buildings are protected throughout the world. He said that the state government must spend whatever needs to be spent to protect the heritage building.

Further, he said that the estimates and blueprint for the construction of a new building in the same OGH complex at a cost of Rs 500 crore have been pending for approval since 2017. While giving financial approval for a new building, he said that the state government must ensure that the heritage structure of OGH remains intact and strengthened further.

The TPCC chief also demanded that the OGH be strengthened with facilities in terms of oxygen lines, ventilators and other modern equipment. "OGH gets nearly 2,000 Out Patients and performs over 60,000 surgeries per year. This is the largest hospital for trauma patients throughout the state. All steps must be taken to convert its infrastructure on a par with the global standards," he demanded, adding that when the KC Rao government could borrow over Rs 3 lakh crore while mortgaging the interest of four crore people of Telangana for wasteful expenditure, why the CM could not sanction Rs 500 crore for the OGH.

Quoting hospital authorities, Reddy said that the OGH was presently conducting 100 COVID-19 tests per day and could accommodate 100 coronavirus patients. He demanded that the testing rate be scaled up and COVID beds in the OGH be increased adequately, as per requirement.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the 10 per cent salary incentive being given by the state government to doctors, nurses, health, station and other staff for their services during the COVID-19 pandemic was not adequate. He said only 10 per cent incentive was a pittance for someone who is working round the clock while putting his/her life at risk. Therefore, he demanded that the incentive must be increased to 50 per cent of salary for all the frontline warriors engaged in combat against coronavirus.

The TPCC chief reiterated the demand for including COVID-19 treatment in Aarogyasri Scheme. He also demanded that high-quality PPE kits of global standard be provided to all the frontline warriors including doctors, paramedics, station workers, cleng staff, journalists and police personnel. He said that all government hospitals be upgraded with ventilators and oxygen lines on a war footing basis.

Reddy demanded that the state government pay an ex-gratia of Rs 50 lakh for all the frontline warriors including doctors, para-medical staff, health workers, station workers, municipal and panchayat workers, journalists and police personnel if they succumb to COVID-19. He also reiterated the demand for payment of Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia to all the BPL families who lost their bread earners to the coronavirus.

( With inputs from ANI )