MARGAO
The acute shortage of beds has put the Hospicio South Goa District Hospital administration in a difficult situation. While there is an urgent need to increase the hospital’s bed strength, doing so overnight is not possible as the second batch of the nursing college is currently functioning from the fourth floor of the hospital building.
At the same time, the hospital administration is exploring the possibility of reverse transfer of patients back to Primary Health Centres (PHCs) or Community Health Centres (CHCs) once their condition improves, thereby freeing up beds for new patients.
A senior hospital official said there was a pressing need to add more beds to meet the growing demand for inpatient care. “The only option left is for the government to take a call on opening up two more floors of the building for additional beds. But this is easier said than done. The nursing college is functioning from the fourth floor, and the college cannot be shifted overnight unless alternative space is made available to conduct classes,” the official said.
The official said the administration was also considering a system of reverse transfer, under which patients showing improvement could be sent back to PHCs or CHCs for further treatment.
“We have been toying with the idea of transferring patients to PHCs and CHCs for further treatment if their health condition improves. But this is a process. First, patients will have to agree to being transferred from the hospital where they were referred. Secondly, the PHCs or CHCs must have slots available to accommodate these patients and continue their treatment,” the official said.
The hospital administration pointed out that the facility is already functioning at full capacity and has been operating its 500-bed capacity for nearly a year.
“The hospital has already operationalised its 500-bed capacity around a year ago. We are now waiting for the government’s instructions on how to address the bed shortage plaguing the hospital,” the official said.
Vijai sets one-month deadline to open top floors; threatens HC contempt action, bandh
MARGAO: Amid growing outrage over the acute shortage of beds at Hospicio South Goa District Hospital, Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai on Sunday gave the government a month to open the top two floors of the hospital building and operationalise additional beds, failing which he threatened to initiate contempt proceedings in the High Court and call for a bandh in Salcete and South Goa.
Accompanied by Goa Forward Party leaders and workers, Sardesai visited the hospital on Sunday afternoon to take stock of the situation arising from the shortage of beds. During his visit, he found patients being treated on chairs and wheelchairs for as long as two days, indicating the extent of the bed shortage.
Addressing the media later, Sardesai, who represents the Fatorda constituency where the hospital is located, alleged that the Hospicio hospital was “lying in a coma” due to the shortage of beds and other basic amenities. “On the one hand, patients are facing a shortage of beds, while on the other, local residents as well as patients and visitors have to bear the sewage odour due to the non-functioning of the hospital’s STP,” he said.
“It appears that the government does not care about the health of the people of Salcete and South Goa. They had promised AIIMS at the district hospital, but today patients cannot even find beds in the hospital,” Sardesai said.
Referring to directions issued by the High Court to the government to operationalise speciality services at the district hospital following a petition filed by the Goa Forward Party, Sardesai alleged that the government had failed to honour commitments made before the court.
“We give the government one month to operationalise the beds on the top floors of the building, failing which we will file contempt proceedings in the High Court. We will also give a call to the people to come together and enforce a bandh to protest the state of affairs at the South Goa District Hospital,” he said.
Sardesai questioned why the government had not opened the top two floors of the building for their intended purpose of providing healthcare services to citizens. “We have heard the government proposing a medical college and a nursing college on the top floors. This hospital building was not built with real estate in mind. Let Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Health Minister Vishwajit Rane settle their issues. For us, the health of citizens is paramount,” he said.
Vijai, Damu spar over bed crunch
MARGAO: A bed shortage at the Hospicio South Goa District Hospital has brought arch-political rivals Vijai Sardesai and BJP State president Damu Naik into another war of words, with both blaming each other for the hospital’s state of affairs.
Sardesai alleged that the land for the district hospital, as well as for other projects, was acquired “for a song” during Naik’s tenure as Fatorda MLA. Naik, in response, challenged Sardesai to produce documents to substantiate his claim that he was responsible for the hospital project.
The two leaders traded barbs on Sunday after Sardesai asserted that it was a matter of shame that the BJP State president had failed to get his government streamline the functioning of the district hospital.
“It was during Damu Naik’s tenure that land for the hospital was acquired by the government for a song. The land losers were promised jobs,
but that promise remains unfulfilled. Leave alone jobs, the government has failed to make even adequate provision for beds for patients,” Sardesai said.
Not taking the allegation lying down, Naik challenged Sardesai to produce documents to prove that he had proposed the acquisition of the fields for setting up the hospital.
“As the MLA, he has failed to get the government to provide adequate health amenities at the hospital. As far as jobs are concerned, I have
provided more than 600 jobs to people of the Fatorda constituency. Sardesai should place in the public domain the number of jobs he has provided to the youth of Fatorda during his 15-year stint as MLA,” Naik said.
When the media pointed out that the BJP government could not escape responsibility for the bed shortage at the district hospital, Naik said the MLA should not politicise the issue.
“The MLA has carried out works in Fatorda with government help and support. He should also approach the Chief Minister and Health Minister to ensure the best health facilities at the hospital,” he added.
