PONDA: The Ponda Sub District Hospital, which was converted into a COVID Hospital five months ago, will now resume its casualty and OPD facilities for the general public from January 4.
Medical Superintendent Dr Vikas Kuvelkar said “All medical equipment and machinery, which were shifted to Dilasa Hospital, Farmagudi, have been brought back to the Sub District Hospital. We will commence casualty and all kinds of OPDs from January 4 onwards.” He said, “A few COVID patients availing treatment at the Ponda Sub District have been shifted to the South Goa District Hospital, Margao.” He urged the locals of Ponda taluka to visit Sub District Hospital for check up from January 4. Regretting the hardship caused to the Pondaites, he thanked them for bearing with the inconvenience caused during the past five months when the Sub District Hospital was converted into a COVID Hospital. He said henceforth Margao South Goa District Hospital will be the lone hospital that will treat COVID patients.
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It may be recalled that when the government had converted the Sub District Hospital into COVID-19 hospital in August last year, the Pondaites were upset and had even protested by gathering in front of hospital premises as the Sub District Hospital was the lone Hospital in Ponda which provided medical facilities. During these months, people from the taluka, who were dependent on the Sub District Hospital for medical facilities, were forced to take another bus to visit Dilasa Hospital at Farmagudi where the Sub District Hospital facilities were shifted. Dilasa Hospital was made available as an alternate arrangement.
Uday Naik, a resident said, “People faced lot of hardship when Sub District Hospital facilities were shifted to Farmagudi. Patients were forced to travel to Farmagudi in another bus after coming to Ponda. I visited Farmagudi hospital when my son complained of chest pain. I was asked to visit the COVID Hospital (Sub District Hospital) to undergo a COVID test. Thus people were forced to run undergo hardship to avail medical facilities. This news of the sub-district hospital to resume its casualty and OPDs has come as a great relief.”
