Hyderabad: Osmania Hospital junior doctors threaten to boycott services from September 8

The hospital’s outpatient block or the heritage block was officially shut down on July 22, and all elective surgeries in departments of general surgery, general medicine, and surgical gastroenterology are stopped for lack of an operation theatre, and only emergency surgeries are performed.

Dr. P Rohith, president of Osmania Junior Doctors Association told indianexpress.com that at least 20 orthopedics patients have tested positive for COVID-19 after they were admitted into the make-shift combined ward for pre-operative patients and orthopedics patients on the third floor of Quli Qutb Shah building in the last month and a half. They were shifted to Gandhi hospital without being operated upon, he said.

“After they test negative for coronavirus, they will be brought back and there is a possibility of further damage to wounds. It may result in patients’ amputation,” said Dr. Rohith pointing out that representations to the hospital superintendent and the Director of Medical Education(DME) have fallen in deaf ears. “Our demands are intended at providing better medical care to patients who come to OGH from all across Telangana.

In its latest representation on September 1, the doctors have urged the management to provide them with elective operation theatres, fully equipped acute surgical units, and post-operative wards. (Express photo by Rahul V Pisharody)

The JUDA had submitted a representation to the hospital superintendent on August 18 and the Director of Medical Education on August 21, raising several issues concerning the hospital. In its latest representation on September 1, the doctors have urged the management to provide them with elective operation theatres, fully equipped acute surgical units, and post-operative wards

Dr. B Nagender, the hospital superintendent, told indianexpress.com that the DME has directed him to re-organize and arrange operation theaters in the Quli Qutb Shah building of the hospital.

At the moment, there are three OTs in the building, namely for both elective and emergency surgery cases for the department of cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, and urology. “These three super specialty theaters are available. We are discussing how to accommodate other OTs in the same place until we can make use of the new GHMC building. Some repairs are needed and it would take one more month,” said the superintendent.

Regarding the combined ward where post-operative patients and orthopedic patients are housed together, he admitted that over-crowding is a problem. “There is a space constraint. Only one ward is available. We cannot do anything about it now,” he added.