Helipads, 2,000 beds, 32L sqft built-up area: Here is how Hyderabad’s new OGH would look

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will lay the foundation stone for state-of-the-art Osmania General Hospital (OGH) on Friday.

The new hospital will give massive fillip to the public healthcare capacity of Hyderabad and Telangana.

Telangana government will make huge investments in public health and create a new government hospital for people at such a large scale.

Located at Goshamahal, the new hospital will have a built-up area of 32 lakh square feet. Fulfilling NMC and IPHS norms, the hospital will have 2,000 beds. The scientifically designed facility, with state-of-the-art facilities, would comprise 29 major and 12 minor operation theaters, with facilities for robotic surgery and a dedicated transplant theater. The hospital shall also have modern laundry, STP, ETP, and biomedical waste management systems.

The Medical Education and Training wing would be expanded majorly, with 30 departments, including eight new emerging super-specialty disciplines. The building would house a new academic block with Nursing, Dental, and Physiotherapy colleges.

The entire project would also reflect great coordination between departments and showcase a multi-departmental public problem-solving mindset that has been evolving under the Congress government wherein the entire land tract is being shared by the Hospital and Police department. This synergetic land-sharing solution would help people with different requirements ranging from medical and educational to law and order and also ensure police welfare.

During a plethora of detailed reviews and planning sessions, the Chief Minister ensured enough provisions were made for current and future needs of electric supply, fire emergencies, and other utilities. The new hospital building design has separate provisions for a power substation, fire station, bio and non-bio waste management, and STP. During the planning, the relocation and rebuilding of a government school that existed on the parcel of land was also ensured.

The highest priority has been given to 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 hospital would have a ground plus two (G+2) parking facilities.

The roads around the police stadium and hospital are being redone to ease the movement of traffic. The lighting and illumination of the entire area and campus are being assessed with super professional care and customization based on the zone and its requirements. The hospital and surrounding areas would also create a provision for helipads for copper-based emergency movements of super-critical patients, and organ transplant movements.

The new hospital campus is being developed on 26 acres and 30 guntas, while the police department would redesign and develop their campus adjoining on 11 acres and 14 guntas for their operational needs. This new milestone in Hyderabad’s healthcare evolution and publicly funded healthcare would also revitalize the Osmania General Hospital brand as a premier healthcare institution for all citizens while ensuring future-ready, medical infrastructure.

History of Osmania Hospital

The pride-of-Hyderabad OGH has a rich legacy and history. It was established in 1919 by Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam of Hyderabad. It was initially established as the 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 sui generis significance in terms of heritage.

It has been host to many a prominent medical conference, 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, catering to a huge number of footfalls and absorbing and catering to a high share of overall patient load.

Over some time, it was felt by the people and the various prior governments that the existing space of 7.5 lakh square feet had become insufficient for the growing needs of the people and the huge increase in the population of the city in the last few decades.

The existing facility also did not meet the National Medical Commission (NMC) norms of a minimum of 30 lakh square feet of space. Several legal issues and litigation activity, scores of court cases over hospital redevelopment have been pending since 2015.

There were also sensitive heritage concerns that posed challenges to the plans for hospital modernization. Most significantly, the prior government did not give either the OGH's heritage or public needs for a government hospital the importance it deserved.

Work on designing the new hospital began on a war footing under the Revanth Reddy government and all plans, sanctions, and issues were cleared in record time to pave the way for the laying of the foundation stone.