Broken beds get bandaged in GMC!
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, JULY 11
Bandages are used for dressing wounds. But Goa Medical College (GMC) & Hospital has many uses of the thin cloth that is generally used for bandaging injured parts of the body. Here, not just wounds but even broken chairs and beds get bandaged.
A couple of dilapidated special Balcon crane beds in the orthopedic ward have been tagged together by tying them with thin cotton bandage cloth.
Frames of the beds have loosened over the years but instead of repairing them, they are held together by bandages. It is quite a sight. These beds have bars on the sides to allow adjustment and also on the top to hold injured foot in suspension and adjust movements of patient. But along with the patients, even the weak bed bars are seen band-aided.
A sister on duty on the condition of anonymity said, they have no choice as beds are very old, and there is no maintenance at all. Beds were brought from the old GMC in Panjim when hospital was shifted to Bambolim in mid-nineties, she said.
Medical Superintendent Dr Rajan Kuncolienkar, when contacted said, beds are indeed very old which are in use for over 20 years. Immediate replacement is also not possible because they are very costly, he said.
However, the issue is not about replacement but of one maintenance, sources said. It is a common problem of the hospital. While equipment and goods are procured for delivery of service, there is no maintenance and most of the best of equipment get spoiled without usual wear and tear.
