TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: An inspection of the district hospital under construction and the Nehru stadium by the Core Committee of Task force constituted under the National Vector Borne Disease control programme has revealed startling facts, lapses and violations at the two sites.
The team spotted water logging at the district hospital construction site, besides a breeding ground for vector borne diseases. The team was taken aback when they came across workers engaged on furniture work of the Nehru stadium. Stagnation of water at the hospital construction site was rampant in the absence of proper bathing and toilet facilities. The team spotted the workers using a domestic LPG cylinder for welding work.
Dr Sachin Govekar of the Directorate of Health Services said breeding ground was detected at one of the floors of the hospital building. “We will immediately recommend action to prevent water logging at the construction site,” he added.
Coordinator GOACAN Roland Martins said a host of violations have come to light at the district hospital building. “How can carpenters from the stadium work at the district hospital construction site. Have they been issued the health cards at the hospital or the stadium site? Their movement from one site to the other can create problems on the vector borne disease front,” he said.
“The Margao Urban Health Centre cannot devote all time and attention at the stadium when it has an entire city to attend to. The contractor should also cooperate to take care of the 500 migrant labourers working at the site and hailing from malaria endemic states such as Odhisa and Jharkhand,’ Martins told the contractor’s representative.
For better management and co-ordination, the stadium premises have been divided into four zones. The team has proposed that staff from the health centre and the contractor should maintain vigil on fresh cases of fever and malaria.
The core team comprising of officials from the Director of Municipal Administration, Labour, GSIDC, health department, Urban Health officer Dr Sanjay Dalvi will visit the two sites after a fortnight to review the ground reality.
