Medical students gherao health minister

HYDERABAD: Health minister N Janardhana Reddy — who was disappointed at the poor turnout at the Osmania Medical College auditorium during the felicitation of retired government doctors on Thursday — was caught unawares when over 100 medical students gheraoed him after the function demanding better hostel and mess facilities.
The health minister, who was heading for another meeting after the function, was forced by the students to inspect the men''s hostel toilets and the mess.
On inspection of the hostel premises, the healht minister found the drainage pipes leaking, besides most of the bathrooms with improper functioning flushes and leaking ceilings. Overhead tanks were old with faulty valves due to which water overflowed and moistened the ceiling and walls.
The students took the minister to the mess where it was filled with stink from a poor drainage facility. The students, who were led by K Rajashekar and hostel secretary Ujjal Raj, wanted reconstruction of mess ceiling, repair of the old hostel that was crumbling at certain places, repair of the entire drainage system, renovation of water pipelines and overhead tanks, repair of taps and wash basins.
Visibly disturbed by the poor conditions of the hostel and mess and also by the unexpected confrontation by the students, the health minister, after inspection, said: “The condition at the premises is so bad that it is a surprise that students are still studying and residing in the hostel�.
The health minister promised students that all necessary steps will be taken immediately to improve conditions at the hostel, including the mess. He also agreed to meet the students'' representatives later in the evening to work out the modalities.
Earlier, the health minister felicitated retired government doctors including former principal of Osmania Medical College Ferhana Osmania, former additional superintendent of Osmania General Hospital (OGH) Dr P Balamba and former superintendent of OGH Dr T S S Laxmi.