Nihad Amani and Mohammed Hussian
Hyderabad: The State government decided to dedicate the Government Nizamia General Hospital (Unani) to convert it for coronavirus victims is a bad decision, an enquiry taken up by siasat.com revealed.
The Charminar Dawakhana, as it is popularly known, works under the Ayurvedic, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy and District Medical Education Department. A portion of the hospital has been occupied by the Ayurvedic system of medicine for decades. It has not been handed over to the Unani hospital in spite of numerous representations.
“This is perhaps the oldest Unani hospital in Telangana. The government, in spite of numerous representations, has never undertaken repairs the building or given the facilities required to run the hospital on at least a reasonable level. It lacks in all facilities and infrastructure. Under these circumstances allowing the hospital to be used for COVID-19 patients is, to say the least, is dangerous, COVID-19 services,” said numerous medical officials and students.
A visit by the siast.com team of reporters found that there are fewer bathroom facilities; sanitation is in bad shape and; the medics and non-medical staff have no protection gear.
The reporters also found that there no separate washroom facilities for patients, doctors and non-medical. All go to the same washrooms.
The doctors revealed that they are not formally trained to provide allopathic medicine. “Our system of medicine is different. We are not trained in the facilities which are required by COVID patients,” several of them said.
Apprehensions were not limited to the medical staff alone but also the PG interns.
Mumtaz Ahmad Khan, Charminar MLA, said that the topmost priority of the government should provide the facilities required for COVID patients. The government, on the other hand, has given a partly sum of Rs. 7-5 lakh for all necessary arrangements.
The other important point which he highlighted is the location of the hospital and its proximity to localities where ordinary people live. If the patients who are discovered to be suffering from COVID-19 is not shifted immediately to Gandhi Hospital, as per the plan, everyone around them would imperiling his health.