Team Herald

MARGAO: After Herald's report revealed the woeful picture of  Hospicio, more complaints have started pouring in about its pathetic state of affairs and abysmal services. It has also been revealed that the authorities have been, in the past, making continuous attempts to demoralise the path lab technicians and eventually directed several patients to get the samples tested from private labs. 

The Medical Superintendent Ira Almeida has, however, denied the allegations and said that in case of poor patients, who cannot afford to get their samples tested at private labs, are tested at the Hospicio path lab. She also said some specific tests are not conducted at the Hospicio and hence had to be be done from outside. 

A patient who was running fever said on condition of anonymity, "On reaching Hospicio, the doctor checked me and then prescribed blood tests and specifically mentioned the names of  two major labs at Margao for tests. Puzzled, I asked the  lab technician why the doctor did so? Much to his displeasure, he said it was a common practice here." 

However, sources said, "This practice of getting tests outsourced was sometimes used as a means to compare and humiliate in-house lab technicians. The whole idea is so de-motivating. However, it must be noted that patients, on the flip side were being tested twice and also fleeced by the outsourced companies." 

It was also learnt that newly appointed doctors initially performed brilliantly at the Hospicio but eventually their performances went for a toss thanks to the botched up system. Lab technicians have not been allowed to continue for long and hone their skills. In most cases, they were either transferred or have quit. 

Having said that, there's lots that needs to be done. But for how long will the needy people wait? And what are the alternatives till then?