Telangana government to hold deliberation on weak Osmania Hospital structure

HYDERABAD: The Telangana government would hold consultations with city MLAs and others before taking a decision on the fate of the 95-year-old state-run Osmania General Hospital (OGH) here which has become structurally weak, Health Minister C Laxma Reddy said today.

Replying to a query in the Legislative Assembly, he said the roof of the heritage building is severely cracked leading to penetration of water into the slab as per the report submitted by experts of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) here.

"Due to low tensile strength of wood, such yielding in the wood may lead to sudden, collapse without warning," he said.

Recalling that top leaders and other prominent personalities have been treated in the hospital in the past, MIM MLA Syed Ahmed Pasha Quadri said the heritage building is an iconic structure and that repairs should be carried out.

The minister said the government would hold consultations, including with MLAs from the city, to decide on the future course of action.

The proposals include raising a new building for the hospital.

The government had earlier shifted in-patients from the OGH to other hospitals on the ground that the heritage building has become "unsafe".