AIIMS prof facelifts AP hospital

New Delhi: Working on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiatives to bring in major reforms in the medical education and health care system, a professor in the Department of Pediatric Surgery AIIMS in national capital, transformed the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Medical College and Hospital at Sanathnagar in Hyderabad. In February 2016, Union government deputed Dr Srinivas M, a pediatric surgeon from AIIMS, New Delhi to ESIC facility in Hyderabad. Prof Srinivas, the dean of the facility, told this newspaper that when he came in February 2016, all the buildings blocks were locked down, no patient, no doctor, no equipment and stray dogs had made this place their home. “When I was assigned this responsibility, a senior government functionary told me bring this (hospital) to life from coma,” he said, adding that the transformation happened thanks to dedicated staff members, good governance initiative of Union government and smart use of Aadhar-based technology. Prof Srinivas pointed that now, this is busiest ESIC medical college and hospital in the country. Last month, Union minister of state for Labour (Independent Charge) Santosh Kumar Gangwar and Union minister of state for home G. Kishan Reddy, dedicated the medical college to the nation and laid the foundation stone for a new outpatient department block to be constructed at a cost of `124 crore. According to Prof Srinivas, ESIC medical college and hospital provides super specialty facilities like Cardiology, Plastic surgery, Nephrology, Endocrinology, Urology, Neurology, Hematology and Rheumatology. Some facilities are provided under the PPP mode too. “There are 300-plus doctors now and 800 other staff. OPD caters to around 4,000 patients daily. Currently, it has 700 beds. We plan to take it to 1,500,” he said. Sharing the story of transformation of facility, Prof Srinivas said, “Aadhar- associated technology and good governance played major role in ensuring hassle-free recruitment of staff, elimination of proxy attendance.”