HYDERABAD: Picture dogs roaming around, barking and littering garbage everywhere. To an animal lover, it might be the most pleasing thing in the world. But if the dogs are doing it inside the general ward of a major government hospital in a city that is battling the swine flu scourge, the entire scenario changes from ‘pleasing’ to ‘awful’ in a jiffy.

Welcome to Osmania General Hospital, a place where patients have to share their bed with the stray dogs. No, this is not being done out of love for the canines. They are forced to share their bed because the animals are forcing their way into the hospital, with none daring to stop them.

“I know I just have half the bed as the other half belongs to the dog,” a patient said with a hint of sarcasm.

Of late, the hospital has become home to many stray dogs, especially the general ward. “There are about 15-16 dogs that keep coming here and create a lot of nuisance. They get on to the beds, pull away the saline drips and sometimes try to attack us,” lamented a patient.

The patients, while claiming that authorities do not take any measures to tackle the menace, accuse the staff of not coming to their help when the canines try to harm them. “The number of dogs is comparatively lesser during the day. The problem escalates in the night when there is no one to shoo them away. At times, it is terrifying,” rued another patient.

Many patients claim that the problem has its roots in the insanitary conditions at the hospital. The hospital precincts are always splattered with blood and that is what draws the stray dogs in. A petition has been filed with the State Human Rights Commission late on Friday. The petition, filed by former corporator Amjadullah Khan, details the dog menace and the danger it poses to the patients.

However, the hospital authorities have a completely different take on the issue. “Osmania General Hospital is a huge place. It does not have grills or fence. So it is difficult to keep them at bay. It is not that we do not make efforts, but the animals keep coming back,” said C G Raghuram, superintendent, OGH.