MARGAO
A year and a half after Hospicio services were shifted to the South Goa district hospital in 2020, medical services returned to the old Hospicio building after the Margao Urban Health Centre (UHC) was shifted to the premises on Monday.
The Margao UHC services were shifted to a portion of the old Hospicio building (not the heritage building) after the façade of the health centre building came crashing down on Saturday and following complaints that the Margao UHC is functioning in congested premises bereft of parking and basic amenities.
Most of the services dispensed by the Margao UHC, including the Out Patient Department (OPD) and immunisation, were functioning from the ground-plus-one-storied old Hospicio building on Monday.
Margao Urban Health Officer Dr Succorro Quadros was monitoring and supervising the shifting operations on Monday.
Since immunisation is conducted by the Margao UHC on Mondays and Thursdays, a huge queue of women with children was seen on the first floor of the building in the morning session.
Dr Soccorro told The Goan that most of the medical services rendered by the Health centre have been shifted to the old Hospicio building.
He said the process of shifting logistics, including furniture and records, is still underway.
He added: “There may be some teething problems cropping up because of the shifting. But, all these issues will be resolved one at a time in the coming days."
Health sources informed that though the Margao UHC is being housed in just one of the buildings in the old Hospicio complex, the shifting has helped to come out from the acute congestion at the UHC complex.
The Goan had during the weekend highlighted how the Margao UHC was functioning from a congested premises when the old Hospicio building has been lying vacant for the last one-and-a-half year after the commissioning of the South Goa district hospital.
The Margao UHC has been conducting the immunisation programme from a makeshift garage, while visitors had been complaining of a lack of parking space at the centre.
Dr Quadros conceded that the parking space constraint that hit the UHC will be a thing of the past since the old Hospicio complex plays host to adequate space.
