HC Raps Telangana Govt over 18-month Delay in Opening Alampur Hospital
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Friday strongly criticised the state government for its prolonged
inaction in operationalising a fully equipped 100-bed government hospital in Alampur, Jogulamba Gadwal district, despite its completion 18 months ago.
The delay, now extending
to 18 months, has drawn the ire of a division bench comprising Acting Chief
Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara, who demanded a detailed explanation
from the state within two weeks.
The court was hearing a
Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Ramchandra Reddy, a social activist
and political figure from the district. Reddy informed the court that the
hospital was constructed with Rs. 21 crore sanctioned in 2021 and completed by
October 2023. Despite being fully equipped, it has remained unused, with no
staff appointed or medical services initiated. He expressed concern that the
vacant facility is now at risk of being misused by anti-social elements,
reports the TOI.
In his submission, Reddy
emphasised that Alampur, an SC-reserved constituency, is home to a large
population belonging to the Dalit and Backwards Class communities. The failure to
operationalise the hospital, he argued, has forced residents to travel long distances
to access basic healthcare, in violation of their fundamental right to health
under Article 21 of the Constitution.
According to the TOI news report, the bench echoed these
concerns, with Justice Sujoy Paul remarking that the government’s failure to
put the hospital to use not only renders the expenditure wasteful but also
deprives a vulnerable population of essential medical care. The judges directed
the state and the concerned departments to file a counter-affidavit explaining
the delay and outlining the timeline for operationalising the facility. The
matter will be taken up for further hearing once the government submits its
response.
Medical
Dialogues had earlier reported that in a move to enhance healthcare infrastructure in
Hyderabad, Telangana’s Roads and Buildings Minister, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy,
announced that three new hospitals under the Telangana
Institute of Medical Sciences (TIMS) will begin operations by the end
of 2025. These hospitals, set to be located in Sanathnagar, LB Nagar, and
Alwal, are aimed at reducing the burden on the city’s current public healthcare
facilities.
