MARGAO: The Health Department by adopting a piecemeal approach in shifting the operations of the Hospicio to the New District Hospital have created more inconvenience than facilities for the people coming for treatment.
There is a hospital without Operation Theaters, ICU, Canteen and several other necessary facilities. The puzzle of what happens to the top 2 floors continues.
The ambitious District Hospital project started under the former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat has seen several ups and downs. The delay is so much that the Health Department now has been forced to shift the operations. However, with no Operation Theaters, ICU and canteen the Hospital is only a building. The Health Minister in the month of May had given a clearance to shift the medicine ward and the 26 OPD’s at Hospicio to the new District Hospital. This decision was taken after understanding overcrowding and chaos at the Hospicio premises during the times of Pandemic.
The medicine ward, however, shifted to the Hospital in June. Sources at the Hospital suggest that as New District Hospital is not equipped to handle the interventions involving operations, the patients are being directed to the GMC. The Operation Theaters remain at the Old Hospicio.
The sections that continue to operate from the Old Hospicio are Pathology, part of the X-ray division, canteen, Casualty, blood bank and others.
When questioned the Medical Superintendent of Hospicio Dr. Ira Almeida on the provision behind the piecemeal shifting of the Hospital she said “The piecemeal shifting was only to make sure we avoid the crowding at the Hospicio and the consequential fear of spreading the Covid-19 infection” she said.
Sources said that the GSIDC had in fact officially handed the ground plus 3 floors for creating Isolation wards as per the order of the Chief Minister. GSIDC has however informed that except for the Medical Oxygen set up for the ground and 3 floors the entire work of the hospital has completed. The Operation Theaters and the ICUs can’t be completed and the hospital can’t be commissioned until this mandatory set up is in place.
To find out more, Herald contacted the General Manager (Civil) of the GSIDC Jude Carvalho, he informed that in another 1 month, the medical oxygen facility will be set up and the work will be completed.
The fate of the top floors still hangs in balance. Discussions are that the two floors may be given to a private hospital. The setup, in fact, is that of a Nursing College with auditoriums and teaching set up. The Margao MLA and Former Chief Minister said “The people of Goa have apprehension on the government’s intention of keeping the two floors of the hospital vacant when the government feels the need of 20% beds in ICUs of private hospitals all across the State. The new hospital project can help the government to provide best healthcare in this COVID pandemic” said Kamat.
All said and done, Hospicio faces a severe staff crunch. Staff members from the hospital have met the administration complaining of extreme workload due during COVID times. With no recruitment on the charts for the Government, the problems have only started for the Hospital at Margao.
