TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Health Minister Francis D’Souza took time off to visit Salcete to wish Independent MLA Benjamin D’Silva on his birthday and preside over the Aqua Fish festival at Navelim on Saturday, but apparently had no time to pay a visit to ailing Hospicio and honour his promise of returning back to the hospital within a month’s time.
D’Souza, however, told Herald during his visit to Ambelim to wish Benjamin on his birthday that his ministry has accorded administrative approval for a tender costing Rs 42 crore to procure life saving drugs to tide over the medicine shortage facing government hospitals.
“I could not make it to Hospicio within a month’s time as promised, but I have understood the problems plaguing the hospital”, D’Souza said, when asked over his failure to honour his promise to return back to Hospicio within a month’s time to review the hospital functioning.
During his first ever visit to the Hospicio at the fag end of December, the Health Minister had promised the media as well as the Hospicio doctors that he will return back within a month’s time to take stock of the situation.
Sources in the Hospicio confirmed to Herald that D’Souza had not made his presence felt again at Hospicio since his first visit. But those in the know said the Health Minister, who is also the deputy Chief Minister, had last month visited Cuncolim to lay a foundation stone and retuned back to Salcete on Saturday to be right on time for Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado’s Aqua fish festival and then head to Ambelim to wish Velim MLA Benjamin D’Silva on his birthday.
Meanwhile, on the procurement of life saving drugs, the health Minister said that department will float the tender no sooner the proposal gets the sanction from the Finance Department. “There’s a big list of medicines to be procured. Barring gloves and other items which are under dispute, my department has set in motion the process to procure medicines, including life saving drugs. I am awaiting the nod from the Finance Department”, he said.
On the problems facing Hospicio, D’Souza said that the DHS is facing a major problem of doctor shortage and Hospicio is no exception. “The shortage may be because of low salaries or other reasons. We are trying
to overcome the situation”, he said.
