Asilo OPDs to function in new premises on Sept 9
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, SepT 5
Finally, Asilo Hospital will have two of its out patient departments (OPDs) functioning in new premises on September 9.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said that medicine and pediatric OPDs will be conducted in new hospital even as the existing OPDs in old hospital will continue functioning.
The old Asilo hospital building is in dilapidated condition and it functions
even after the new premises is completed. However, the new structure remains unutilized as the State is toying up with the concept of Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.
Rane was talking to reporters on the sidelines of GVK- Emergency Management Research Institute’s (EMRI-108) second anniversary at Goa Medical College.
He informed that on September 9 and 10, OPDs of medicine and pediatric departments would be opened at the new premises, which are left unused for few years.
“The building will be inaugurated partially on the above date,” Rane stated.
The health minister said that once these OPDs are made operational, the morgue will be shifted to the new premises.
Rane confirmed that the process to finalise the consultant on PPP model for the project is currently underway.
“We have already appointed a medical superintendent to look after the facilities at the new building,” he said.
The State government had assured High Court that the hospital would begin its functioning by March 2011 and that OPDs and morgue would be shifted to new premises immediately.
Replying to a question, Rane said that ragging incident reported in Goa Medical College was not serious and suspension from the hostel was enough punishment for the students.
Rane’s statement comes in contrast to medical college waiting for the report from its anti-ragging committee, which had termed it as serious. A police complaint was also filed against the nine seniors who allegedly ragged the juniors.
The health minister, however, today played down the entire controversy saying that it was not serious.
“Ragging may be serious but what has happened in GMC, I don’t think, was that much serious for me to intervene,” the minister said.
Rane said that he is yet to get the detailed report on the incident but he does not think that such an incident requires his attention.
Earlier, Rane said that State will increase its count of EMRIs from 22 to 29 by December.
“A well-wisher has agreed to donate seven ambulances for this ambitious PPP scheme, which will be made public on December 19,” he said.
EMRI currently runs 22 ambulances which have attended to 65,500 emergencies in last two years saving 5227 lives with timely intervention.
