Red tape stalls plan to move patients to new building

HYDERABAD: Working out of a dilapidated building for the last many years, the government chest hospital’s plan to relocate its patients to a new 100-bedded building is stuck in red tape. Last month, the state government had given permission for the hospital to move its patients suffering from various lung diseases to the new facility that has come up in its premises.But the hospital has so far not received directions from director, medical education to do so.
Hospital officials said that they are now accommodating patients in the HIV care and support centre. “The hospital building is in a state of collapse. The government had issued a memo on May 28 keeping in mind the impending monsoon that we can shift patients to the new building. But the director, medical education is yet to issue orders for the same,” said Dr K Subhakar, senior chest physician at the hospital. He said that the memo had also mentioned that a plan be made for the chest hospital on the lines of Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital which is a low-cost but a good hospital.
“Our ICU is on the ground floor and its back portion is water-logged. After all, it’s a 100-year-old construction,” Dr Subhakar said. The government chest hospital is a 670-bedded facility spread over 67 acres.