Margao health centre’s ‘recovery’ hits a bump

The Margao Urban Health Centre continues to be covered with tarpaulin sheets as the building's repair work has come to a halt.

MARGAO
How many more months, if not years, will it take for the Public Works Department (PWD), to repair and restore the Margao Urban Health Centre building and pave the way for the return of basic health services at the Centre for the benefit of citizens of Margao and Fatorda?

Consider this: The façade of the Health Centre building had crumbled down in the wee hours of July 8, 2023. For months, around eight months to be precise, the structure was covered with blue-coloured plastic sheets before the repair work finally commenced on March 14, 2023.

At that time, PWD officials had exuded confidence that the repair work, undertaken at an estimated cost of Rs 12-13 lakh, would be complete in three-month time, before the onset of the monsoon.

Take note, civil work on the project to restore the façade of the heritage building had indeed started as per schedule initially, raising hopes that the work would be completed in all respects before the monsoon.

Sadly, the heritage building continues to be covered with the blue-coloured tarpaulin sheet, throwing up questions about the delay in the completion of the work over the last 10 months.

With no early sign of the work coming to an end, inquiries by 'The Goan' have now revealed that the contractor has stopped all work on the project for want of part-payment for work completed to date. Sources said the work had commenced during the tenure of the then PWD Executive Engineer, who has since retired.

Sources say the contractor has stopped all work on the repair work since neither the part-payment has come from the government nor has the file been pursued by the department for approval. “Even if there are issues regarding the work, the same ought to have been resolved and overcome by the PWD higher-ups since the building in question is a heritage structure,” remarked a citizen.

He added: “The government should have moved with alacrity to repair and restore the heritage building and also restore the health services at the Margao Urban Health Centre, but in vain.”

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Patients and staff bear the brunt of delayed repairs
Caught in the crossfire between the PWD officials and the contractor are the health officials and staff, as well as the patients and citizens alike, availing health facilities at the Margao Urban Health Centre.

Consider this: After the façade of the Margao Urban Health Centre crumbled on July 8, 2023, the services of the health centre were immediately shifted to the old Hospicio complex. A couple of months later, the services were again shifted to the Old Hospicio heritage building after a sash of a window of the Hospicio annexe building came crumbling down.

And, with no sign of an early end to the repair work on the Urban Health Centre in sight, the OPD of the Health Centre has been shifted to the South Goa District Hospital, while the administrative section continues to function from the old Hospicio building.

“Patients, citizens, besides the health officials and staff, are facing a lot of issues due to the lack of access to our health centre building. We have no idea when the curtains will come down on the ongoing repair work. We have no information as to why the work has not been completed to date,” remarked a health official.

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Political promises fall short
When the façade of the Margao Urban Health Centre crumbled in the wee hours of July 8, 2023, politicians of all hues rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation and demand early restoration of the heritage building.

Be it Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai, besides Margao Municipal Chairperson Damu Shirodkar, councillors, and Health and PWD officials, they lost no time in rushing to the centre. Questions, however, are being raised in city circles as to whether the political lot had at any time followed up on the repair work for its early completion to facilitate the return of health services at the building.

Interestingly, the issue seemed not to have figured at Saxtti's lone Minister Aleixo Sequeira’s weekly Friday darbar. In this respect, sources said citizens have now decided to take up the matter with Sequeira at the upcoming Friday darbar in the South Goa District Collectorate, seeking his intervention to get the contractor to expedite and complete the work on priority.