GMC awaits implants for knee replacement surgeries
Patients’ waiting list crosses hundred l Private clinics, hospitals take advantage
GERARD DE SOUZA
gerard@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: For over a year now, knee implants required for knee replacement surgery are not available at the Goa Medical College and Hospital sending the waiting list of patients past the hundred mark ostensibly due to a delay in issuing the tender.
The hospital which does more than 100 knee replacement surgeries a year, mostly for the poor and middle class who cannot afford private medical care saw its tender process scrapped last year after one of the bidding companies complained that the contract was allotted without opening their bid.
In response to their complaint previous Health Minister Vishwajit Rane has scrapped the entire tender process and asked that it be done afresh. That process is yet to be completed for more than a year now.
In the meanwhile patients who seek a knee replacement surgery are either asked to wait indefinitely, advised to do it privately or in some cases are asked to procure a knee implant privately and get the operation done at GMC. In some cases patients are even recommended certain private clinics where they can get their knees replaced instead of waiting for lengthy government procedures to end.
In either case it is clear that the absence of knees in GMC is an advantage to the private clinics and hospitals, which conduct such operations and a huge disadvantage to the poor patients who have to wait endlessly since they do not have the option of going to a private clinic, unless medically insured by the employer.
Dr S M Bandekar the head of the Department was not available for comment despite repeated attempts to telephonically contact him.