Mapusa hospital needs life support system
Though the district hospital was hurriedly shifted, without a blood bank, adequate doctors, and no transport and pharmacy facilities after 4 pm, relatives of patients are marooned. Ironically, it has a morgue.
Sensitivity towards patients and their relatives’ needs, is part of the process of conceptualising facilities at a hospital. Unfortunately, the
facilities and service offered at district hospital, at Mapusa, seems to be tailored more for staff offering the services rather than patients or their relatives, who need it.
Take, for instance, the lobby at the hospital entrance. The enquiry counter is quite large and spacious, but there is no sufficient seating arrangement for visitors. At present, there are only seven chairs in the lobby at the entrance and most visitors are forced to sit outside the hospital.
Moreover, the District Hospital lacks good canteen facilities for visitors, as only tea and a few snacks are being sold at a small counter. This has forced attendants of patients to go out of the hospital in search of food. Meals for patients are being supplied from the Asilo Hospital.
The pharmacy in the District Hospital functions till 4 pm and relatives of patients face considerable hardship in procuring medicines at night.
“Further, the bus service provided by KTC from the Kadamba bus stand at Mapusa to the hospital is available only till 4 pm. But, the time notified for people to visit patients is from 4 pm to 7 pm,” complained Sheetal Naik, a visitor at the District Hospital.
“However, there is no KTC bus service after 4 pm from the Kadamba bus stand and visitors are compelled to hire rickshaws to proceed to the hospital in the evening,” said Naik.
Despite shifting services from the Asilo Hospital to the new District Hospital, many facilities are still unavailable in the new hospital.
What is also surprising is that there is no Blood Bank service, a critical necessity, at the hospital. According to sources, the hospital has to procure blood from the Goa Medical College Hospital in Bambolim whenever required.
The first floor of the District Hospital wears a deserted look as the super-speciality block has not been started and there are no indications from hospital sources as to when these services will start.
Naik also claimed that there are insufficient doctors, especially surgeons, in the district hospital.
When contacted, Medical Superintendent cum Deputy Director of District Hospital Dr Ruando De Sa admitted to a shortage of medical staff in the hospital.
“At present, there is only one surgeon and an arthroscopic surgeon, Dr Sandeep Fowker, is expected to join from January 2012,” informed Dr De Sa.
“It’s very difficult to get specialists in Goa, but the Directorate of Health Services is trying its best to recruit suitable doctors to provide better medical services to the people. Recently, we started a morgue facility for the benefit of people from north Goa,” added Dr Sa.
