It was on June 24 that Saleem Ahmed (name changed) rushed his father-in-law, a resident of Santosh Nagar in Old City, to the Government General and Chest Hospital, Erragadda, in a private vehicle after the latter showed severe coronavirus-like symptoms. With no ambulance available at the time, the patient died before he could be admitted.
Now, with his mother-in-law also falling sick, Mr Ahmed points out the pressing need for an increase in COVID-19 testing centres as well as hospitals in Old City. “It took us over an hour to travel from Santosh Nagar to Chest Hospital. There was unavailability of ambulances and beds in private hospitals. An influential person tried to help us but that did not yield any result. Old City needs more private testing centres and hospitals for COVID-19 patients,” Mr Ahmed says.
The Telangana government’s COVID-19 website lists 23 private hospitals across the city with isolation facility. Only two of these – Thumbay Hospital in Chaderghat and Yashoda Hospitals in Malakpet – are in Old City.
“The Old City has a population of at least 30 lakh. There should be more hospitals for a population of this size. The other side of the city has so many private hospitals which are admitting COVID-positive patients. There are six in Banjara Hills alone,” he adds.
Recently, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen had recommended that Nizamia Tibbi Hospital in Charminar, popularly known as Unani Hospital, be made into a first referral hospital, and also asked the government to conduct at least 20,000 tests in Hyderabad Parliamentary Constituency as well as Nampally Assembly segment.
While the government has listed the Unani Hospital as a free testing centre, residents say that too is inadequate. Take the example of Old City resident Ghulam Ghouse Jeelani’s brother, who tested positive. On Friday, Mr Jeelani’s family reached the Unani Hospital for testing. What he witnessed made him uneasy.
“It was a mockery of social distancing. My sister, one-year-old niece, mother, and sister-in-law were registered for testing in the morning. It was after many hours, around 1.45 p.m., that our samples were collected. As regards follow-ups calls from the department given my brother testing positive, there is no problem. But giving samples takes long. That must be improved,” he says.
Syed Azharuddin, a driver and resident of Kalapather, had developed coronavirus-like symptoms nearly a fortnight ago. He went to a private testing centre in Himayatnagar but that was closed for the day. He returned for the test two days later.
Expensive tests
“Not everybody can afford a ₹2,200 test. We need more testing centres in our area. There was a rush for testing almost everywhere. There should be more sample collecting centres,” he asserts.
Activists say area hospitals across Old City should have a COVID wing, like Area Hospital, Kondapur. “Load on frontline staff will be reduced,” activist S.Q. Masood says.
