The lone major Government Hospital in the southern part of Goa, which caters to Canacona Taluka, is running without specialist doctors and allied staff in spite of the issue being raised several times during the past decade.
Canacona MLA Isidorio Fernandes, along with 50 locals, visited the centre recently and found out many missing facilities. The ACs in the Dialysis Unit were not functioning, putting the kidney patients in distress.
The PVC Water Tank placed on temporary bullister poles doesn’t have any stability. If it falls there could be casualties amongst the hospital staff and the patients. The Hospital estate beside the hospital is found having unwanted growth and waste is found littered in the area.
The two wells in the compound are polluted with lot of garbage thrown in the well. The AC in ECG unit is not functioning, lift is not working and the consultant is not in a position of repairing it as his previous dues are not settled yet. The transformer malfunctions and is not attended by local Electricity Department as it is not under their jurisdiction. Any maintenance to be done is carried out by the GSIDC, which takes more than a week to attend such cases.
The defunct electrical fixtures are dumped beside the hospital; toilets are not maintained properly as some taps are not working and cleanliness is not up to the mark; the maternity ward is covered and separated by loose curtains between female ward which is not hygienic and may cause infection to the new born babies.
Residential Quarters at Canacona Community Health Centre (CCHC) are in very bad shape and requires urgent major repairs or should be demolished as they pose danger to the people staying there. The area around the hospital is infested with rats and snakes.
With the centre not equipped to handle any type of emergencies all patients requiring specialised treatment are referred to Hospicio Hospital which is about 40 kms from Canacona.
Mr Diogo Da Silva, ex chairperson of Canacona CHC health welfare committee, feels that Canacona should have a full fledged hospital.
