MARGAO
Asserting that the under-construction South Goa district hospital will be a flagship hospital of the Directorate of Health Services, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane and TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai on Saturday promised to commission the long-delayed district hospital within a year’s time in April 2018.
The Health Minster also directed the Health Director, Sanjeev Dalvi, to ensure that the new hospital has a well-equipped radiology department, including MRI facility and complete digital imaging system, so as to ensure that there is no strain on the Goa Medical College and Hospital in Bambolim for these services.
Though the government has pumped in funds to the tune of Rs 100 crore till date, the project cost may shoot up to a whopping Rs 150 crore by the time it is commissioned by next April due to delays and cost overruns.
Paying his first visit to the district hospital with the TCP Minister, the Health Minister reviewed the hospital construction with health and GSIDC officials. “We have decided to meet every month to review the construction of the hospital. The TCP Minister has been asked to personally supervise the hospital. If the need arises, we will all take up any issue with the Chief Minister for a solution,” Rane said, adding that the CM has decided to accord utmost priority for the completion of the
South Goa district hospital under construction.
When the Health Director maintained that there’s no provision of MRI facility at the new hospital, both Rane and Sardesai demanded that the MRI facility ought to be a must at the hospital, saying they will take up with the CM on the requirement of funds.
“This government will deliver under the leadership of CM Manohar Parrikar. Every month we will sit and review the situation,” Rane said.
Sardesai pointed out the district hospital should be inaugurated only as and when all amenities and doctors are put in place. “It should be a fully functional hospital. It’s not an issue if it takes another one month to complete the hospital, but it should be fully functional,” he added.
The TCP also raised the issue of providing jobs to the land losers as well as the local populace who were affected by the outbreak of malaria because of the construction of the hospital. “We are ready to train the local people as well as the land losers so that they get some jobs in the hospital,” Sardesai said.
Both the Health Minister and the TCP Minister expressed concern over the inundation of the basement of the new hospital with sewage water from an adjoining damaged sewerage line. Both Rane and Sardesai said they will take up the issue with the government for the replacement of the damaged line to stop the sewage water seepage into the hospital basement.
