10 Years of Telangana: New NIMS, Warangal Health City showcase KCR’s forevision, redefine healthcare

HYDERABAD: Thanks to the forevision of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), healthcare in the state will have a new address once the new medical infrastructure in the name of Warangal government hospital and the expanded Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) are ready to serve the needy.

While NIMS in Hyderabad has a huge patient footprint and is in dire need of expansion, the health city project in Warangal will be the pivot of ultra-modern healthcare in north Telangana.

NIMS expansion

Founded in 1961, the NIMS is a government organisation, formed as a university established under State Act. The once super-specialty hospital, which served the needs of patients from not just Telugu states but from across the country for decades, had suffered a lack of infrastructure and beds to match the heavy influx of patients.

The Telangana government, under the leadership of K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), had decided to expand the NIMS at a cost of Rs 1,571 crore. The expansion will result in the addition of 2,000 beds to the existing 1,800 beds. The expansion also includes 500 ICU beds in 42 different wards.

The new building will house many new departments in addition to the existing 30 departments in NIMS, along with academics, investigation and research. The state Roads and Buildings department called for bids on an item rate basis for the retrofitting works and design-build mode on a turnkey basis (EPC mode). NIMS was permitted to raise financial resources from banks and other financial institutions.

Due to the lack of space in the existing premises near Panjagutta, the expansion will take place in the adjacent area that housed outdated government quarters. The old quarters have been demolished and the entire area is now ready for a foundation stone to be laid by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao for the expansion of NIMS commemorating the decennial celebrations of Telangana formation.

The government has already directed the officials to conduct an online process to recruit 5,204 staff nurses for NIMS and the proposed 1,000-bed TIMS hospital in four corners of Hyderabad.

Telangana’s largest government hospital

The aging Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital (MGMH) in Warangal is one of the largest healthcare providers in the state. With a daily outpatient number touching 1,800 patients, this 1,450-bed hospital caters to the healthcare needs of patients in and around the city of Warangal. This hospital stands as a tertiary healthcare provider with different health specialties under one roof.

To ease pressure on the overburdened MGMH, the Telangana government has decided to build the largest government multi-specialty hospital in Warangal to extend quality medical care to the people of north Telangana. The project was undertaken under a comprehensive healthcare plan called the ‘Health City Project’.

The 24-floor, 2,000-bed new hospital is being built on a 56-acre campus on the old central jail premises at a cost of Rs 1,200 crore. Out of the 24 floors, 16 floors will be utilised for hospital services and the rest will be used for academic and other purposes. The Telangana government has undertaken the project without any support from the Central government.

The construction is going on at a brisk pace as the government has secured all the necessary clearances from essential departments. KCR laid the foundation for the super-specialty hospital on June 21, 2021.