Osmania Hospital – Another heritage structure down the demolition road

Beyond Charminar

The state-run Osmania General Hospital has been serving people in Hyderabad for nearly a century, which today primarily includes providing health care to people from Telangana’s rural areas who cannot afford private hospitals. The Nizam-era structure, built during the reign of the last Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, has however been shut since 22 July, and is yet another heritage structure that may not survive.

Shut since July after rain water flooded the OGH’s ground floor wards (this happened due to a choked sewer line below), the issue of OGH’s survival is yet another case in point wherein the government seems to be more interested in demolishing heritage structures, rather than preserving it.

Built in the Osmanian or Indo-sarcenic style of architecture in the first half the 20th century, it is one of Hyderabad’s most important buildings in terms of medical history. Ever since its closure, there have been calls to even demolish the hospital (it was never been closed in its history until now)

We talk to Dr. Iqbal Javed, who has not only worked at OGH, but has also seen it since he childhood, to raise some crucial points about the issue.

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