The dilapidated condition of the Government Chest Hospital at Erragadda is jeopardising the lives of over 100 in-patients, but the government is yet to wake up from its slumber even though monsoon is round the corner. In 2010, the GHMC had inspected and declared that the building should be vacated within 24 hours and even a decade earlier, a team from AP Hospital and Medical Infrastructure Development Corporation had inspected and declared that the building is not suitable for human habitation.
The medical superintendent of Government Chest Hospital, Dr P.N.S. Reddy, said, “The roofs and walls can collapse and a disaster can happen anytime. It’s doubtful if the building will survive this monsoon. Most in-patient departments including the emergency are in a sorry state and lives of about 100 patients currently at the hospital are at stake. We badly need a new building since cost of renovation of this old palace will be around Rs 200-Rs 300 crore. Just minor repairs won’t be enough on the building.”
Continuing, Dr Reddy said, “This time, because of the sorry state of the emergency wards, we couldn’t even handle swine flu cases and these had to be referred to Gandhi Hospital. However, no alternative arrangements have been made and no budget has been sanctioned for a new building though we have intimated the government about it long ago.”
The director of medical education, Dr Vasant Prasad, said, “It’s for the government to sanction the budget and the AP Medical Services and AP Infra-structure Development Corporation should come up with a new building. But though representations had been given to the health secretary a few months ago, the health department hasn’t heard from the Secretariat so far.”
The special chief secretary, G. Sudhir, said, “It’s true that the old Chest Hospital building requires repairs and the superintendent has been asking for it for quite sometime. However, the money hasn’t yet been sanctioned.” The entire process is under consideration, Mr Sudhir added.