MARGAO: After a two-day break, the dialysis centre at the Hospicio engulfed by fire on Friday last resumed operations at the hospital’s annex building with the help of a power generator, even as the authorities have failed to restore power supply to the unit.
Dialysis unit owner Dr Venkatesh told The Goan that he will move the High Court and the Supreme Court to seek relief in the interest of the dialysis patients, saying the government’s decision to dilly dally in restoring power supply to the unit is clear case of contempt of court.
The resumption of operations at the dialysis centre by Dr Venkatesh comes against the backdrop of the statement made by Health Minister Vishwajit Rane that the building ravaged by fire will be sealed.
What’s interesting to note is that almost all the patients who were undergoing dialysis at the Hospicio run by Dr Venkatesh have not availed the government’s offer to undergo dialysis at the Navelim centre or in any of the five hospitals notified by the government under the DDSY scheme.
“It is the patients, who have full trust in the dialysis centre, who have helped to requisition the power transformer to run the unit since the government has not restored the power supply. Since the 32 patients, who were undergoing dialysis at the Hospicio did not want to move out to the centres offered by the government, they helped the centre to get the power generator to run the unit,” he said.
Incidentally, when the patients had confronted the Health Minister during his visit to Hospicio on Saturday to restore the power supply, Rane had rejected the request to restore power supply immediately, saying the government will act on the report from the fire services and electricity.
“In the interest of the 32 patients and given that the government appears playing foul as it has no intention to restore the electric supply or provide alternate premise for the dialysis centre, I intend to move the high court and the Supreme Court for justice to the patients,” Dr Venkatesh said.
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What caused the blaze?
Power Dept clueless
MARGAO: In an interesting development, which may hit the probe into the Hospicio dialysis centre fire, the electricity department has concluded that it is not possible to ascertain the reasons behind the fire mishap. The power engineer, who as drafted to conduct the inquiry, has pointed out that he could not take the inquiry to the logical conclusion for the simple reason that the wirings in the store room and the toilet have completed melted because of the fire and heat. “There’s nothing left to investigate as the wiring in the store room and the toilet are burnt completely. Only the burnt pipes are left in the store room and toilet which cannot throw light on the fire mishap”, the power engineer told his superiors.
As far as the damage to the electric wiring in the passage is concerned, the power engineer has explained that the wiring in the passage melted because of the heat generated by the inferno that reportedly originated in the toilet and store”, source said.
Given the situation, questions are being raised whether the probe ordered by the Health department to go into the cause of the raging fire will lead to any conclusion in the light of the power department’s opinion that it is not possible to ascertain the causes behind the fire.
