Work on the first phase of the Curchorem Upgraded Primary Health Centre (CUPHC) commenced recently, but it leads to the question whether this new structure will resolve the problems plaguing the old health centre. The 60-bedded hospital was built soon after Goa’s Liberation in October 1967.
“This entire existing structure was in a dilapidated condition and it will be demolished to make way for a new hospital structure within two years,” said Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral.
According to sources, most doctors from CUPHC do not reside at the hospital complex as two staff quarters are in a dilapidated condition and only one quarter is occupied by some employees.
As this affected the administration at the CUPHC, authorities decided to demolish all the residential quarters in the first phase. Work has now begun to construct new quarters behind the hospital to house the staff, nurses and resident doctors.
“As work on these quarters is on, part of the hospital will be demolished immediately and a new hospital with 82 beds will be constructed by Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (GSIDC) on 9,314 sq mts of land,” Cabral said.
“The ground floor will have an emergency ward, admissions and operation theatre, a gynaecology ward, delivery room and female and male wards. All the consulting rooms/OPDs, including ayurvedic/homeopathic OPDs, will be housed on the first floor. All medical facilities will be provided, including a mortuary and a 24-hour pharmacy,” Cabral added.
But while Cabral is confident the new CUPHC will have the necessary medical facilities, others suspect that with medical specialists still in short supply, the new CUPHC building could be no different from the existing one.
Welcoming the construction of the new hospital building as it has fulfilled a long-pending public demand, the CUPHC Visiting Committee’s former chairman Manohar Naik said, “This centre is centrally located and has been providing basic and necessary medical facilities to residents of Curchorem-Cacora, Sanvordem, Panchwadi, Peri-Udok, Bandol, Codli-Tisk, Assolda and Xeldem. Due to a shortage of doctors and other staff, most cases are shifted to Hospicio at Margao, after the administration of first aid. The health minister must recruit additional doctors, nurses and other staff at the CUPHC at the earliest.”
In a stronger note Naik said, “Non-availability of doctors is not an excuse and government can’t play with life. There are many postgraduate doctors passing out from GMC every year. The government must work out a solution and compulsorily engage their services at least for one year in government hospitals.”
