Raising concerns over the challenging procedure faced by parents of autistic children at Goa Medical College (GMC), Mormugao MLA Sankalp Amonkar on Wednesday highlighted the physically and emotionally draining process involved in conducting EEG tests for these children.
Addressing the issue in the Assembly, Amonkar directed his remarks to Public Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, drawing attention to the lack of a streamlined protocol at GMC. He pointed out that under the current system, children are first required to visit OPD 14 for sedation. Once sedated, they must be taken all the way to the Super Speciality Block for the EEG test.
The process becomes even more stressful, Amonkar said, when the initial dose of sedation fails to put the child to sleep — a frequent occurrence. In such cases, parents are forced to walk the child back to OPD 14 for a second dose and then return once again to the EEG department, causing significant strain on both the children and their caregivers.
Amonkar urged the Health Minister to intervene and introduce a more parent- and child-friendly system to ease the burden on families undergoing this medical procedure.