VASCO
Two people accommodated on one bed and saline being administered to patients in the corridors is the picture that emanates at Chicalim Cottage Hospital, which is struggling for space and staff.
Sources in the hospital informed that the staff on duty is skeletal and sometimes it becomes extremely difficult to handle the ever increasing number of patients on a daily basis. Many a time the staff finds it difficult to maintain a balance between handling emergency cases and treating in-house patients.
The sources informed that the new sub-district hospital in Chicalim is almost ready for operation, but is not commissioned for a long time. Staff crunch is not the only woe the hospital faces. Its roof slabs are also in urgent need of repairs as cracks are visible at several places. The toilet facility too is not in great condition.
Tara Kerkar of NGO Savera on Sunday slammed the Health Minister Vishwajit Rane for not having commissioned the new sub-district hospital which is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment. Kerkar said that the delay in the commissioning of the complex is inconveniencing several patients. Sometimes patients have to be referred to GMC in Bambolim, she stated. “Two patients are made to adjust on one bed. Neither is there a morgue nor a proper ambulance. There are only two sisters to cater to the load of patients. If one sister takes leave or is unable to make it to work, one can imagine the situation,” Kerkar said and questioned, “Why is Vishwajit Rane not inaugurating the new complex?”
She said the Chicalim hospital is visited mostly by poor people from all over the taluka. The two sisters who are on duty everyday have to handle deliveries. “How can the two handle deliveries and also emergencies at the same time?” she questioned.
