Hyderabad: Funds allocated in the Budget for development of the outpatient department in the Chest Hospital at Erragadda and for repairs of the hospital at Anantagiri, Vikarabad, are not being released. The TRS government had allotted Rs10 crore for the development of the outpatient department in the Chest Hospital at Erragadda. Proposals for purchase of equipment, building repairs and improvement of infrastructure had been discussed and scrutinised. But after the government order number 61 was issued on January 27, the Budget allocations were frozen.

In the GO, the government had sanctioned Rs 7.70 crore to carry out repairs and renovation at the TB sanatorium in Vikarabad. This was after the Telangana State Medical Services Infrastructure Development Corporation inspected the building at Vikarabad and felt that only after repairing and renovating could the sanatorium be shifted.

A senior officer of TSMSIDC said, “After inspection, proposals were prepared but tenders for repairs and renovation have still not been called by the department.” The director of Health and Medical Sciences had proposed to shift three units of the Chest Hospital to the Osmania General Hospital. Three more departments were proposed to be shifted to the Gandhi Hospital. This was in view of the Medical Council of India’s objections that the attached hospital was not close to the medical college.

The director of Health and Medical Sciences had thus also proposed to relocate the departments to these two teaching hospitals to convince the MCI. However, here too, apart from paper work, nothing concrete has been done.

Senior chest physician Dr K. Subhakar said, “The proposals are there but so far no arrangement has been made to set up 100 beds in OGH and other facilities in Gandhi Hospital. Also, there have been objections from the medical fraternity as well as the social wing that since OGH is overcrowded, there is a chance of spreading the TB infection to other patients and also their attendants in the hospital.”