Happy New Year’s 2017, may really be a good year for Hospicio South Goa District Hospital. Firstly, obviously its seven years and ticking and the government has completely failed to complete the District Hospital but even worse, the New Year had terrible news for the Hospicio staff.
A January 01, 2017 circular by the Medical Superintendent Dr Ira Almeida spelled out that he Directorate of Health Services, Panjim had dumped the housekeeping vendor namely Veejay Facility Management from December 31 and hence the Group D Staff of the Hospicio would now have to carry out sweeping, mopping, cleaning of the Hospicio Hospital wards with which hygiene is a major concern.
Even worse the matron on duty is newly deputed and unawares about the staff on duty who are to carry out these duties and Dr Ira herself is on long leave leaving the system at Hospicio in a jeopardy.
“The problem here is that the DHS delayed in retendering the housekeeping tender to either retain the same firm or appoint a new firm and hence this firm pulled out from January 01 at all government run hospitals, including Asilo, Chicalim and all other centres. January 01 was a holiday and it’s only now that we’re seeing the effect of this problem. Also DHS has not mentioned to us when will the reappointment be done,” explained Geraldine Fernandes, the office in-charge at Hospicio, who’s holding fort in the absence of Dr Ira.
The Special Officer on Duty also told us that the matter can get worse if the code of conduct comes into play and that would mean only post March 20, the new contract will be awarded and till then Hospicio will suffer.
Even worse the PRO at Hospicio comprising of Ashwini Dessai and Deepak Sawardekar are missing from their chairs and are not available to comment on this blunder of the DHS.
“We’ve been told to clean the ward which involves hygiene. We’re not given phenyl or glove supplies, we don’t have proper buckets. Our Group D staff is involved with scavengers and garbage clearance and we’re not cut out for forward cleaning. Also no additional allowances are assigned to us. It’s not possible to manage all these responsibilities,” explains Jaya, a Group D head staff speaking to us on the night duty.
Meanwhile, the Goa HRD security personnel assigned to the hospital, who are suppose to man the gates, are also told to help out with the cleaning services.
“The toilets are not cleaned for two days. We’ve actually been in a stench and even worse Group D staff is not on duty in the evenings. They work only from 8 am to 4 pm and then it’s a skeleton staff of three or four on the night shift and how we expect to maintain any hygiene then?” questions an orthopaedic doctor who tells us that Group D staff otherwise deals with soiled linen and sweeping the hospital premises.
“There’s not even a proper handover. It was a new year shocker for us. The Veejay Facility just withdrew and we’re not even equipped with mops, buckets, sanitisers and all this needs sanction and purchase and can’t be done at the last moment,” explains the accounts head at the Hospicio Office section. The accounts department is uncertain whether to concentrate on these issues or the mediclaims but feels this is an immediate concern at the Hospicio Hospital premises and at the TB Hospital on the Monte.
Meanwhile the Health Minister Francis D’Souza asserted that his office will look to intervene in this matter with immediate concern.
