Health Care Workers Protest Against Telangana State Government's Order

The Telangana State Government issued a Government Order to shift Government Chest Hospital, Erragadda, to TB Sanatorium in Vikarabad.

The staff, including senior doctors, house surgeons, paramedical and administrative staff and nurses of Government Chest Hospital, Erragadda, launched a struggle to protest the move to shift the hospital to Vikarabad.

The Telangana State //Government on Tuesday issued a Government Order (GO) to shift Government Chest Hospital, Erragadda, to TB Sanatorium in Vikarabad.

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Senior hospital doctors said that the TS Government has decided to shift Chest Hospital from its 62-acre campus in Erragadda.

The doctors pointed out that if shifted, the hospital will stand to lose close to 11 PG seats in pulmonology, which received permissions recently from Medical Council of India (MCI). According to MCI rules, a teaching hospital should be within 8 k.m of medical college.

“Instead of developing this facility into a full fledged general hospital, they want to shift to Vikarabad and use this campus for commercial gains. There is a 100-bedded facility for HIV patients here. The in-patient block is a heritage building and the campus is a notified urban forest area. Is the Government expecting patients to travel 50 to 100 kms for treatment?” said Dr. T. Pramod Kumar, chairman for action committee formed to save the Chest Hospital from its shift.

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Rs.7.70 crore was sanctioned to carry out repairs and renovation of sanatorium to house the new hospital.

The Government had directed the TSMSIDC officials to visit the TB facility at Vikarabad and submit a report on the possibility of shifting the existing Government TB and Chest Hospital, Erragadda to Vikarabad.

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According to the GO, the chief engineer of Telangana State Medical Services Infrastructure Development Corporation (TSMSIDC) has inspected the sanatorium in Vikarabad and had recommended repairs and renovation of the existing building.

The orders triggered protests with health care workers from the hospital boycotting their duties on Tuesday. Sporting black badges they raised slogans against the Government and termed the decision to shift the hospital as ‘illogical’ and against the interests of patients.

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Extra pulmonary tuberculosis is infection of tissues and organs other than the lungs by mycobacterium tuberculosis and related organisms.

Source-Medindia