MARGAO
Hospicio will submit to the Director of Health Services a list of items, including beds and furniture required in the South Goa district hospital under construction on
November 7, which is scheduled for commissioning by December 2016.
Hospital officials, however, have no idea when they will pack their bags and brace up for shifting of medical facilities from Hospicio to the new district hospital. Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and his deputy Francis D’Souza, who holds the Health portfolio, had set December 2016 as the deadline for commissioning of the new district hospital, but Hospicio staff in private say they are still not in receipt of any communique from the Directorate of Health Services till date.
With just 56 days left for the December deadline to expire, even a tentative date has still not been set and communicated to the Hospicio medical and para medical staff for shifting of Hospicio medical facilities to the new district hospital.
When The Goan called up Health Director Dr Sanjeev Dalvi to ascertain whether the district hospital will be commissioned in December as per the government’s deadline, he only said it all depends on the completion of work on the hospital building executed by the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC). “Unless the GSIDC completes work on the district hospital building in all respects and hands over the premises to the Health Services, we cannot undertake shifting of the medical facilities from Hospicio to the district hospital,” remarked Dr Dalvi.
On the other hand, GSIDC Managing Director Sanjit Rodrigues, when asked to shed light on the progress of work on the district hospital building, told The Goan that the Corporation will complete the civil and electrical works of the building in all respects by December. He, however, hastened to add that it is beyond his brief to comment either on the commissioning of the district hospital or the shifting of the medical facilities
from Hospicio to the new
district hospital.
“I can say that the civil works in respect of the first three floors of the new district hospital building will be completed in December as per schedule. Besides the civil works, the electrical fittings and tiling work will also be completed within the deadline,” Sanjit said, but pointed out that the GSIDC is not involved in the procurement of equipment, including beds and other medical facilities at the new hospital.
What’s interesting to note is that the government agency has so far not moved the file to seek power and water connection for the new district hospital building. When the Goan brought this to the notice of the GSIDC Managing Director, he said the file will soon be moved to power and water supply departments for electricity and water supply.
Incidentally, Health Director Dr Dalvi was not willing to commit himself on the commissioning of the new district hospital by December, reiterating that the commissioning depends on the handing over of the building to the health department by the GSIDC.
Asked specifically whether the scheduled commissioning of the district hospital can take place by December, Dr Dalvi appeared evasive, saying that the project in question is a hospital, adding that nothing ought to be done in a haste. “When any shifting takes place, it cannot be done overnight. Shifting is always done in phases. If the building is ready in all respects, the Health Directorate can take up shifting of the medical facilities from the hospital to the new district hospital phase wise,” he said.
The last time Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza had visited Margao, he had exuded confidence of the government meeting the deadline to commission the district hospital by December.
A visit to the hospital site, revealed that a portion of the building has received a white wash, while workers are busy preoccupied in rushing with the work. Like Hospicio doctors and staff, even the workers at the building construction site have no idea about the commissioning of the
district hospital.
