File photo of nurses at Gandhi Hospital in Secunderabad.
Following the recent general transfers within the Telangana Health department, concerns were raised about staff crunch at Hyderabad’s government hospitals, particularly at Gandhi Hospital and Osmania General Hospital (OGH). The Director of Medical Education (DME), however, said the number of doctors and nursing officers at these hospitals increased between 2023 and 2024.
According to data shared by the DME, Gandhi Hospital’s staff rose by 163 positions whereas the OGH saw an increase of 113 positions. Specifically, the number of doctors at the OGH rose from 169 in 2023 to 266 in 2024, and the number of nursing Officers grew from 247 to 263. At Gandhi Hospital, doctor count increased from 295 in 2023 to 362 in 2024, and the number of nursing officers rose from 191 to 287.
“As per Government Order (G.O.) number 80, dated July 3, 40% of the Health department workforce in the State was transferred. Despite these changes, hospital performance has not been affected. There are adequate numbers of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff available across all hospitals,” DME N. Vani said.
Following the Statewide transfers conducted in July, there were allegations that the government had failed to replace most of the doctors transferred from city hospitals to districts. Many doctors had reported that departments in Gandhi Hospital and the OGH were functioning with only half of their sanctioned strength. In response, the Health department on August 7 issued a recruitment notification to hire 235 doctors for Gandhi Hospital and the OGH.
