TIMS Hospitals Face Staff Shortage Ahead of Launch
HYDERABAD: Human resource mobilisation has emerged as a key challenge for the Telangana government’s flagship Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences (TIMS) hospitals, which are being developed to provide super-speciality healthcare at little or no cost and compete with corporate hospitals.
Despite government assurances that TIMS hospitals would function on the lines of the National Institute of Medical Sciences and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, with a dedicated directorate, autonomous administration and independent recruitment, no significant progress has been made on those fronts.
The government is constructing three 1,000-bed TIMS hospitals at Sanathnagar, LB Nagar and Alwal. Of these, the Sanathnagar facility has been designated as a cardiac speciality centre and is expected to be launched in the first phase.
Several proposed inauguration dates have already been postponed. A proposal to launch the hospital on June 2 has also been deferred. Officials in the Health Department are now considering inaugurating the facility in the second week of June after securing an appointment with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
Dedicated directorate plan remains stalled
The Health Department had proposed a separate directorate-level administrative structure for TIMS hospitals and sought direct recruitment of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff exclusively for these institutions.
The proposal was submitted to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and the Chief Secretary. Officials recommended the recruitment of around 4,000 personnel, including doctors, nurses and support staff, for each TIMS hospital.
However, sources said the Finance Department has not yet granted approval for filling medical, nursing and technical posts. As a result, the recruitment process has effectively come to a halt.
The delay has reportedly disappointed Health Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha, who had envisioned TIMS hospitals functioning under a dedicated directorate.
To facilitate trial operations, doctors and staff from Gandhi Hospital, Osmania Hospital and other healthcare facilities in and around Hyderabad have been temporarily deputed to the Sanathnagar TIMS hospital since May 1.
Experts say 4,000 personnel needed per hospital
Medical experts estimate that a 1,000-bed super-speciality hospital requires at least 200 specialist doctors, 500 resident doctors, up to 1,500 staff nurses for round-the-clock operations across three shifts, and between 1,500 and 2,000 paramedical personnel.
They said advanced departments such as cardiac care, intensive care units, trauma care, catheterisation laboratories, modular operation theatres, dialysis units, MRI and CT scan facilities require experienced personnel to function at full capacity.
Medical professionals maintain that super-speciality hospitals of this scale cannot be operated effectively without direct recruitment of at least 4,000 staff members.
