Osmania General Hospital (OGH) has not just been an iconic Nizam-era monument in Hyderabad but also a historic medical facility for city residents as well as those from remote areas in the neighbouring states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will on Friday lay the foundation for the new 2,000-bed OGH at Goshamahal. The new hospital will be spread across a built-up area of 32 lakh feet, fulfilling norms stipulated by the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS).
According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), the scientifically designed facility, with state-of-the-art amenities, will have 29 major and 12 minor operation theatres with options for robotic surgery and a dedicated transplant theatre. The hospital will also have a modern laundry, sewage treatment plant, effluent treatment plant and biomedical waste management systems.
The Medical Education and Training wing will see a major expansion with 30 departments, including eight emerging super-specialty disciplines. The building will house a new academic block with nursing, dental and physiotherapy colleges.
During detailed reviews and planning sessions, the chief minister ensured that enough provisions were made for the current and future electric supply needs, fire emergencies and other utilities. The new hospital building design has separate provisions for a power substation, fire station as well as bio and non-bio waste management.
During the planning, authorities also ensured the relocation and rebuilding of a government school on the land parcel. “The highest priority has been given in designing the super-modern hospital to ensure the comfort and needs of patients, and the attending families and visitors. Reception, waiting halls, canteens and cafeteria, resting places, and bathrooms have been provided on each floor and for every stakeholder of the hospital – staff, patients, visitors, guests, et al,” the CMO statement said.
The hospital will have ground plus two (G+2) parking facilities. The roads around the police stadium and hospital are being redone to ease traffic movement, creating No-Signal junctions using tactical underpasses. Lighting and illumination of the entire area are also being assessed. There will be provision for helipads considering chopper-based emergency movements of super-critical patients and for organ transplants.
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The new hospital campus is being developed on 26 acres and 30 guntas of the Goshamahal police grounds while the police department will redesign and develop their campus on the adjoining 11 acres and 14 guntas for their operational needs.
“This new milestone in Hyderabad’s healthcare evolution and publicly funded healthcare would also revitalise the Osmania General Hospital brand as a premier healthcare institution for all citizens while ensuring future-ready medical infrastructure,” the statement said.
OGH and its rich legacy
Established in 1919 by Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam of Hyderabad, OGH has a rich legacy and history. It was initially instituted as Afzalgunj Hospital in 1866 by Salar Jung I. Built in Indo-Saracenic style, reflecting Hyderabad’s blend of Mughal and European influences, the hospital also has a unique significance in terms of heritage.
Host to many prominent medical conferences and research initiatives over the decades, it used to serve over 3,000 outpatients and 1,200 inpatients daily, and the staff would perform 100 to 150 major surgeries and several hundred minor procedures daily.
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Over time, it was felt that the existing space of 7.5 lakh square feet had become insufficient for the growing needs of the people, especially considering the huge increase in Hyderabad’s population in recent decades. The existing infrastructure also does not comply with NMC norms, which mandate a minimum of 30 lakh square feet of space for hospitals with medical college campuses. Besides, since 2015, legal issues including scores of court cases over hospital redevelopment have been pending. There were also sensitive heritage concerns that posed challenges to plans for hospital modernisation.
