MARGAO
Mahila Congress women led by national general secretary Apsara Reddy along with State mahila chief Pratima Coutinho created a flutter at the ailing Hospicio on Thursday after they were stopped at the entrance gate from visiting patients to understand their plight and condition.
While the security manning the gate insisted that the hospital visiting timings for visitors are in the evening to facilitate the doctors take rounds of the wards, Apsara Reddy, Pratima Coutinho and other mahilas argued that the very same security personnel had allowed entry to a BJP general secretary, besides males into the hospital.
After finding that pregnant women are forced to stand in a queue for hours at the OPD, Apsara demanded the resignation of Health Minister, Vishwajit Rane, saying the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar should sack the Health Minister for his failure to provide basic amenities for the women.
And, the mahilas demanded that Parrikar, who has himself undergone trauma due to ill-health, should vacate the chair and also pave way for some other leader to take over the reigns of office in the event he asks the Health Minister to quit office.
They insisted that the Congress mahilas are stopped from entering the hospital to prevent them from exposing the hospital for treating women on the floors for want of beds.
“We have information that women are being given treatment on the floors for want of beds. We want to see their plight and also if the hygiene and sanitation in the hospital are in order, but the security has deliberately stopped us from going to the wards,” Apsara claimed.
When the Congress mahilas made their entry into the OPD, they found to their shock and surprise pregnant woman standing outside waiting for their turn.
“How can you allow 8-9 month pregnant women stand in a queue without seating arrangement and drinking water facilities. The Health Minister should be ashamed of the situation at Hospicio. Either the Health Minister should resign or he should be dropped by the Chief Minister,” she demanded. The absence of the Medical Superintendent Dr Ira Almeida left the Congress mahilas fuming after their efforts to get her on the phone went in vain.
Briefing the media, Pratima Coutinho demanded to know the last time the Health Minister had come to Hospicio to take stock of the situation. Coutinho further set October 30 as the deadline for the government to commission the South Goa district hospital which has been dragging on for the last nine years.
