Saving lives more important than saving heritage: Owaisi on Osmania General Hospital

Hyderabad Member of Parliament (MP) Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday reiterated his demand for a new building at the Osmania General Hospital. Owaisi said that saving lives is more important than saving heritage. He had visited the Indo-US hospital in Malakpet to inaugurate a 23-bed COVID-19 ward. "If you want to save heritage, save it, but if you want to save lives, and save money, we need a new building for Osmania Hospital," he said after inaugurating the ward. During a visit to the Osmania Hospital last month, the MP demanded that the state government build a new hospital at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore. "If you want to keep the building, keep it; If you want to demolish it, do so," he had said.

Heritage activists, who have been urging the government to protect the heritage structure, had taken exception to the MP's remarks. Owaisi, however, defended his stand, saying the condition of the Osmania Hospital is deteriorating with every passing day. He said the Osmania Hospital needs a built-up area of 20 lakh square feet. The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief said that people criticising his party for supporting the Osmania Hospital's new building are neither aware of the situation at the hospital nor have ever visited it for treatment.

The MP said that when Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao can demolish the Warangal Jail and build a hospital there, why can't he build a new building for the Osmania Hospital Medical College, which is the oldest medical college in the country and has given countless doctors in different disciplines. "The annual number of surgeries has come down from 90,000 to 45,000 at the Osmania Hospital. We will not let the government escape the Osmania Hospital issue, by citing heritage concerns," he said.

Designed by Vincent Esch, the Osmania Hospital building on the banks of Musi River was completed in 1925. Owaisi pointed out that the shortage of beds and ventilators led to loss of many lives during the second wave. "COVID-19 treatment is expensive. And hospitals like these (Indo-US Hospital, Osmania Hospital) can help patients save their hard-earned money during times of crises," he said.

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