MARGAO
The Rs 90 crore 100-bedded state-of-the-art ESI hospital at Margao is finally nearing completion as the stage is set for handing over of the hospital to the State ESI within the next 8-10 days.
Labour Minister Rohan Khaunte, who reviewed the status of the ongoing work at the ESI hospital along with the Hospital Administrator Sabhya Shetye and Medical Superintendent Dr Vishwajit Faldesai on Sunday, later told the media that the hospital will be ready for formal commissioning after the handing over process is complete by May 8-10.
Briefing the media, the Labour Minister said that though the hospital will be formally commissioned in the near future, patients are being treated at the ESI hospital with all care and facilities. He said the ODP and casualty, besides the male and female wards are functioning normally in the hospital.
“The 100-bedded hospital will have six ICU beds. The hospital is equipped with post operation care. It has facilities for the relatives of patients as well as for doctors and nurses,” he said.
He pointed out that the five-floor building will house the OPD, male and female wards with state of the art facilities. The eight unit capacity mortuary, which was promised on the floor of the House, will soon come up at the ESI hospital. It will give a big relief to people from South Goa.
To a query, Khaunte pointed out that various options are being explored on how to utilize the fourth and fifth floors of the building, with the Labour Minster saying that the possibility of setting up a dialysis unit and a day-care centre on these two floors are being explored.
He said Goa may become the first state in the country to ensure the safety and health of industrial workers with the ESI hospital in place, in addition to a host of dispensaries and clinics across the state.
On the contentious issue of manpower requirements, the Labour Minster said the required manpower, including doctors, nurses, attendants and supervisors should fall in place within the next four months. “The personnel department has granted certain clearances for the recruitment of additional manpower to man the ESI hospital,” Khaunte said, adding that the advertisements seeking applications from prospective candidates will appear shortly.
He, however, hastened to add that there is no compromise on the medical facilities mad available to the patients for the moment. “Patients and insured persons availing medical facilities at the ESI hospital are being attended to by specialists from the fields of orthopedic, gynecology and medicine. Additional doctors are in the process of
being recruited at the hospital,” he added.
