Expecting the South Goa district hospital to get functional was always an exercise in futility for years now, but the government has finally lifted the mood in South Goa, by announcing that the hospital will be completed and inaugurated by December 1. For those who have experienced the nightmare that is the Hospicio in Margao, this will be excellent news.
But promises like this have been made before. As early as late 2008, the then Congress government made the grand announcement for the hospital and promised completion by November 2011, exactly three years later. A few glitches meant that work flowed into 2012, where construction was then stopped as the governments changed. Ever since then, there have been a bevy of promises of completion and excuses for delays. Debates in the assembly in later years meant the completion of the hospital was first scheduled for 2014, then 2015 and now we have a December 1, 2016 date. It would seem that the government is hell bent on ending this long drawn saga before they go into the next Assembly elections. Of course, since the hospital was on the agenda of the Chief Minister, when he announced the five projects that would be completed before term ended.
The alternative for South Goans and others has been the old Hospicio. But over the years there have been problems, as populations increase and other issues ensured the slow decline of the once grand hospital. The cardiac unit and OPD there were non-entities, which meant patients had to be sent to Goa Medical College in Bambolim. This itself was a situation that needed a solution, given the increasing number of people hit by this lifestyle ailment. Now, patients share beds. Corpses have no space in a mortuary that has since collapsed under the weight of many bodies. GMC is now shouldering this burden. The lift didn’t work and the hospital corridors were rarely cleaned. This was not a good sight for the ailing. The reason for all this was a severe shortage of qualified staff, from nurses to cleaners.
Staffing is a problem that affected Hospicio, one that the government aims to do away with, by utilising the top two floors for a nursing college and for paramedical courses. But herein lies the problem. One of the main reasons for the decline of Hospicio was its inability to expand and upgrade facilities. The South Goa district hospital cannot suffer the same sickness. There has to be enough space to term it futureproof, as the establishment needs to be able to function for atleast 50 years if not more. It is here that the 72 cabinet mortuary sounds like a feeble plan, given the expected rise in population over the years and decades. It would be pertinent to take a moment and consult experts to see if these plans cannot be redrawn within the existing larger plan. A contingency plan could be made to shift the nursing institute if the two floors are required for expanding the wards and facilities in the future.
Now tenders have to put invited, equipment ordered, staff hired and super speciality wards set up. There was a need for a full-fledged hospital in South Goa for a long time. Perhaps this wish may come true in December. If it doesn’t then the BJP will have a lot to answer for come the elections.
