MARGAO: Following the collapse of a portion of the upper storey of the Margao Urban Health Centre (UHC) housed in a heritage building, all services have been shifted to the old Hospicio building. The new location is set to be operational from Monday, July 10.
As a precautionary measure, tarpaulin has been used to cover the other side of the UHC building. Health Officer Dr. Soccoro Quadros personally supervised the protective works on Sunday.
The incident occurred early Saturday morning, with the front portion of the building, particularly the wall on the first floor where the conference hall was located, collapsing due to water damage. The stone debris landed on the ground in front of the UHC compound. Although no casualties were reported, a two-wheeler parked nearby was damaged.
Considering the safety of visitors and staff, the decision was made to relocate services to the old Hospicio building, which previously housed the blood banking and administrative sections. Dr. Quadros confirmed that all services, including the outpatient department (OPD), have been shifted to the old Hospicio building as per the instruction of Health Minister Vishwajit Rane.
“We have successfully relocated all services to the old Hospicio building, and operations will resume from Monday. It may take a few more days to transfer the remaining equipment,” Dr. Quadros stated.
“Although the technical team from the Public Works Department (PWD) has assessed the stability of the other side of the building, we have decided to shift operations based on the instructions of the Health Minister and the Health Service Department,” he explained. Authorities have also been requested to cut or trim a large tree that poses a threat to the heritage building. Necessary approvals for the tree removal have already been obtained.
On Monday, a team of engineers from Goa College of Engineering-Farmagudi will inspect the UHC building to assess its stability and determine the necessary steps moving forward.
