MARGAO
There’s finally good news in store for the citizens of South Goa. The dead can now hopefully rest in peace as the days of space constraints that hit the operations of the Margao mortuary seem to be finally over.
People from South Goa need no longer shuttle between Hospicio hospital, Margao, and the Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim, with dead bodies for want of mortuary space at Hospicio.
The installation of a new and spacious mortuary at the South Goa district hospital has augmented the mortuary capacity in Margao to 90-plus, with doctors and officials saying this will be adequate to meet the immediate and future requirements.
While the brand-new 72-cabinet mortuary has been commissioned at the South Goa district hospital, the existing Hospicio mortuary at the TB hospital complex atop Monte Hill has taken the mortuary capacity at Margao to 90-odd units.
A senior Hospicio official told The Goan that the new district hospital mortuary has played host to a Covid body after the patient had expired at the hospital. The commissioning of the district hospital, sources said, had an added advantage, given that the mortuary unit is located right inside the hospital complex.
Unlike the mortuary at the TB hospital complex, where a hearse van is required to shift the dead bodies from Hospicio, officials said dead bodies from the district hospital can be shifted in the 72-unit morgue on stretchers.
A senior health official informed that though the 72-unit mortuary unit at the South Goa district hospital has been put to use by preserving a body, the process of commissioning the entire mortuary will be taken up in phases.
A portion of the unit may be reserved for the preservation of dead bodies of unidentified persons and medico-legal cases since it takes time for their disposal.
Hospicio, however, plans to preserve bodies of patients expiring in the mortuary atop the TB hospital complex. In addition, the TB hospital mortuary will be used to preserve bodies of persons upon requests.
“Right now, Hospicio no longer faces the problem of mortuary space after the commissioning of the 72-unit mortuary in the district hospital. The issue over space constraints in the mortuary at Hospicio is finally over,” a senior health official said.
Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) General Manager, Jude Carvalho, informed that the GSIDC has handed over the 72-unit mortuary unit to the health services for commissioning. “There’s no work left of the 72-unit mortuary. Hence, the health services can start using the mortuary unit,” he added.
Over the years, people of South Goa had to undergo the ordeal of shuttling with bodies between Hospicio and GMC, Bambolim, for want of space at the Margao mortuary, so much so that while the bodies were accepted at the GMC morgue, they had to be returned to Hospicio for the post-mortem examinations.
