PERNEM
Strongly objecting to the shifting of the Tuem Community Health Centre (CHC) to the new Tuem hospital complex, the Tuem Hospital Action Committee has threatened a hunger strike from January 12 if the government does not link the new hospital complex to the GMC hospital at Bambolim.
In a memorandum submitted to the Tuem CHC health officer, the committee stated that former chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar had constructed the new hospital building in Tuem with the intention of making it a 100-bedded hospital linked to the GMC hospital.
Speaking to media persons, Tuem Hospital Action Committee member Devendra Prabhu Desai said the new Tuem hospital complex should commence operations as a linked hospital, as decided earlier.
“If the government shifts the Tuem CHC to the new building, people will strongly oppose it,” warned Desai.
Another committee member, Advocate Prasad Shahapurkar, said they had earlier submitted a number of representations to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, Mandrem MLA Jeet Arolkar, and Pernem MLA Praveen Arlekar.
“For the past one year, the people and our committee have been demanding that this new hospital complex be linked to the GMC hospital,” said Shahapurkar.
“By circumventing this demand and planning to shift the Tuem CHC to this new building, the government has rendered the very purpose for which this building was constructed meaningless.”
He demanded that 21 different departments and wards should be immediately started at the new hospital complex.
George Lobo mentioned that Rs 100 crore had been spent on this new Tuem hospital complex and hence, the government should stop thinking of shifting the Tuem CHC to this complex.
Convener of the Pernem Taluka Development Committee Venkatesh Naik stated that ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ is the government’s responsibility and hence, it should start the facilities it had promised in this new hospital complex.
