MARGAO
Will Health Mininster Vishwajit Rane look into why the 72-unit mortuary at the new district hospital is still not commissioned despite the claims of the GSIDC that the facility was ready for opening over three months ago?
This question assumes significance even as senior GSIDC officials led by General Manager Jude Carvalho and Hospicio officials inspected the mortuary unit at the district hospital on Friday as the two authorities made claims and counter claims over the commissioning of the mortuary.
In fact, many a question remains unanswered. One, why was the mortuary not put to use for the last three months and half when the GSIDC officials claimed that the facility was handed over to Hospicio on May 11 last. Or, whether it’s true that the GSIDC is yet to officially hand over the facility to the health authorities till date? And, whether the requirements of Hospicio hospital to run the mortuary have still not been met till date?
Over three months is indeed a long time to commission when the mortuary unit with cabinets, air-conditioning facility etc was put in place as claimed by the GSIDC.
GSIDC General manager Jude Carvalho has asserted that the agency had handed over the 72-unit mortuary at the district hospital to the Directorate of Health Services on May 11. “The facility was handed over after testing and trial run. We have no idea why the DHS delayed in the commissioning of the facility,” he added.
The delay in commissioning the mortuary sounds baffling when the existing morgue at the TB hospital has failed to meet the growing requirements. More ever, it is not uncommon to find dead bodies from South Goa transported to the Goa Medical College and Hospital mortuary for want of space at the TB hospital morgue.
Hospicio officials, however, claimed that the mortuary unit was never officially handed over to the hospital by the GSIDC. “The GSIDC may have put in place the mortuary, but there are other things that should also fall in place. We have to test the mortuary to ensure that cooling is maintained at the right temperature so that there’s no problem when bodies are preserved at the unit,” a senior Hospicio official pointed out.
GSIDC officials said that the hospital officials have asked for the installation of three wash basins in the mortuary, a work which should not take more than a day.
Sources said during inspection on Friday, the mortuary has been switched on and will be closely monitored for the next 48 hours.
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Hearse vans requisitioned
MARGAO: Taking cognizance of the hardships being faced by the families in transporting dead bodies from Hospicio and the district hospital to the TB sanatorium mortuary, more so in times of COVID, South Goa district Collector, Ajit Roy on Friday issued an order requisitioning two hearse vans at the disposal of the Hospico/district hospital.
