Patients say every nook and corner, including beds, side tables and drip stands, are infested with pests
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: During his visit to Hospicio exactly a year ago, Health Minister Laxmikant Parsekar was inundated with complaints pertaining to the cockroach menace inside the hospital.
A sympathetic Parsekar mulled immediate action, promising relief to patients from cockroaches and rodents. After seeking inquiries from Hospicio Medical Superintendent Dr P Nachinolkar, Parsekar gave his go-ahead for the battle against the menace.
Sadly, a year down the line Hospicio is yet to rid itself from the menace of cockroaches and other pests. A visit to the hospital on Tuesday evening revealed the worst scenario. A patient in the Orthopaedic ward had just moved out of the ward, and his bed was found invaded by cockroaches.
This frightening scene is not restricted to only one or two wards, but the entire hospital, sources in the Hospicio revealed.
A patient in the Orthopaedic ward told Herald that beds, side tables, besides drip stands are invaded by cockroaches. “Are we admitted to a hospital? Hospital is a place where there’s normally no compromise on hygiene, but Hospicio appears an exception,” remarked the middle-aged patient.
When contacted, Hospicio Medical Superintendent P Nachinolkar said that the hospital had carried out an exercise to contain the cockroach menace after the Health Minister’s visit last year. And he says that the government has now given sanction to undertake the exercise against pests.
It’s not known how many times the Hospicio Medical superintendent had carried out the operation since the last one year, given that inquiries with the PWD revealed that such an exercise has not been done by the department over the last one year.
That’s not all. PWD sources revealed that the department had prepared and submitted detailed estimates to the Health Directorate over a year ago for an anti-termite operation, but in vain.
“We are helpless. Unless the health department gives the sanction to go for an anti-termite operation, the PWD cannot undertake the work,” remarked a PWD official.
