Providing solace to patients at GMC

Divya Gounder of Karwar was riding pillion for a job interview in the Verna industrial estate, when her two-wheeler met with a mishap resulting in Divya fracturing her foot. Post the surgery at the Goa Medical College (GMC), Divya was discharged but was asked to report to the hospital after a fortnight. Travelling back and forth from Karwar was not an option and Divya’s family was caught in a quandary. This is when Rugnaseva, the patient help desk service run by the Ponda based Matruchaya Trust inside the GMC came to the rescue.

The Gounders were directed immediately to Rugnaseva’s sibling organisation, Rugnashraya (patient shelter) a half-way home run  by the same trust at Alto Santacruz, walking distance from the GMC. Rugnashraya is a veritable home away from home for needy patients and their families who are looking for short lodging and boarding facilities close to the GMC.

When this correspondent visited Rugnashraya, a few weeks ago, Divya and her family were staying comfortably in the well-equipped dormitory section of the centre, relieved that they could access  neat and clean accommodation so close to the hospital. The Matruchaya Trust started Rugnashraya in this new building in November 2007 and for the last 10 years, have been providing excellent lodging and boarding facilities for needy patients and their families at very nominal rates.

The small building has one large dormitory and eight small rooms which can house 50 persons at any given time. The lodging charges in the dormitory are Rs 50 per person, per day, while they are Rs 100 per person, per day in the individual rooms. While the rooms have attached bathrooms, the dormitory has common bathrooms. A walk around the centre revealed that rooms, the dormitory and the lobbies were squeaky clean  and well maintained. The inmates also have easy access to an in-house canteen which provides clean, wholesome meals and snacks through the day.

The centre also has a well-equipped physio-therapy unit with relevant equipment and manned by a seasoned physiotherapist. The unit has been set up by the Rotary Club of Panjim Mid-Town. Services are offered to both inmates and members of the general public between 9am and 1pm every day at nominal rates.

Similarly, thanks to the support of the Rotary Club of Mapusa, Rugnashraya offers amputees access to the ‘Jaipur foot’ facility which is coordinated with a Kolhapur based technician. According to Anuradha Ganoo, Rugnashraya unit head, the cost of the Jaipur foot is picked up by the Rotary Club of Mapusa. The centre also has a cancer counseling unit which is run by two lady doctors.

Keeping in line with their philosophy of service, the centre also offers patients access to walkers, wheelchairs, crutches, orthopaedic beds and portable commodes at nominal rates. An ambulance funded by the Rotary Club of Panjim Mid-Town is also available at the centre. Ganoo also informed that the centre conducts village health camps in the remotest villages of Goa three times a year.

However, the optimum utilisation of Rugnashraya is completely dependent on the efficacy of the other sibling unit, Rugnaseva which operates the patient help desks inside the Goa Medical college.  The Rugnaseva unit provides multiple patient help desks across the vast GMC. There are Rugnaseva help desks in almost every critical department of the GMC, starting with the general out-patient department (OPD), casualty, orthopaedics, maternity, birth and death etc.

A walk through the GMC revealed the passion and commitment with which the Rugnaseva volunteers serve the patients. Typically, Rugnaseva volunteers help patients fill up forms, guide them to the relevant medical units, help them get their birth-death certificates, help them access blood from the blood bank and also buy medicines free of charge for the poorest of the poor.

Sarita Naik, Rugnaseva supervisor summed up their role by saying, “Patients from the remotest villages of Goa and sometimes neighbouring states visit the GMC and are overwhelmed by the size of the hospital. We assist these patients and make them feel happy and comfortable.”

Speaking to oHeraldo, Madhukar Dixit,  Matruchaya Trust committee member has appealed to retired individuals across Goa to volunteer their time and effort with the Rugnaseva team inside the GMC. Dixit has also requested readers to support the Trust’s work by issuing cheques in favour of ‘Matruchaya’ to be sent to the Rugnashraya office at Alto Santacruz.