Osmania General Hospital to sweep clean its premises of addicts

HYDERABAD: Security will be tightened at the park near the premises of Osmania General Hospital which has become a haven for drunkards, drug peddlers and addicts. The authorities woke up to the menace following a report in TOI last month.
While plans have been forwarded to the concerned departments, it could take time for the security apparatus to be put in place as the post of the chairman for the Hospital Development Society (HDS) has remained vacant for a long time.According to sources, the HDS of the OGH has the final word on the execution of any plan. However, being headless for one and half years, the HDS has not held any of its meetings and therefore all key plans are piling up pending clearance.
On March 19, TOI had reported that the unrestrained access of anti-social elements to the park area, particularly in the late hours, had become a major cause of worry for hospital visitors and patients alike. According to sources, a security audit was jointly conducted by the state police intelligence department and hospital officials in August and September last year. The audit report pinpointed the security vulnerabilities at different locations and suggested as many as 22 measures. They include installation of security cameras, X-ray baggage scanner, constitution of a committee for security and safety of the hospital besides improving the performance of the deputed security personnel. Following the report by TOI, the authorities are now planning to dust up these proposals and implement them.
Hospital superintendent K Ramdas told TOI that a safety and security committee has been constituted which will be meeting every week to assess the security situation. "Instructions will be given by the committee to security contractor and guards. The Afzalgunj police have also stepped up vigilance. We will also be commissioning close-circuit TV surveillance in the hospital and its surroundings soon," he said in a letter to TOI.
C Narendra Kumar, hospital administrator, explained that other recommendations made by the security audit report were also being studied. "The feasibility of installing solar fencing to strengthen perimeter wall and installation of baggage scanner system are being considered. We have already conducted an exercise with experts for determining the locations of installing security cameras. We will also be considering the installation of an alarm system," he said. When asked why these measures were not implemented after the security audit, Kumar cited lack of funds. He said, "In order to take up installation of the devices for security purposes, HDS has to allocate funds. Now that efforts are being taken to improve security, we are expecting funds from the society." He, however, could not comment on the time it would take for the measures to be implemented. Sources revealed that of all the recommendations made, only measures pertaining to the functioning of security personnel have been implemented.
When superintendent Ramdas was asked about the situation of funds, he revealed that the HDS for OGH has not had a chairman for over a year now. Without the approval of a chairman the security improvement work cannot be taken up. "We have done our bit but without funds it is hard for us to do everything. Representations have been made by me to the government to appoint a chairman," he said indicating that the fund crunch is unlikely to end anytime soon and that the hospital security situation may not improve desirably.