MARGAO
NO SOLUTION, PROBLEMS APLENTY
>> Hospicio had a mortuary attached to the hospital in the past, the same is now shifted atop the Monte Hillock in the property of the TB sanatorium
>> Though the part-commissioned district hospital has a 72-cabinet mortuary in place, kin of the dead are forced to transport the bodies, to the TB hospital mortuary
>> People hesitate to visit the mortuary at night, with little or no illumination on road and stray dogs on the prowl in the area. They also complain of inconvenient location of the mortuary
Reason: The government-runhearse vans are in operation only during the day time, leaving relatives of thedead with no option than to knock the doors of private hearse van operators toshift the bodies from hospital to the mortuary.
In fact, at Hospicio as wellas the part-commissioned district hospital, relatives of the dead are left tofend for themselves at the dead of the night to arrange hearse vans to ferrythe body to the mortuary.
While Hospicio had a mortuaryattached to the hospital in the past, the same is now shifted atop the MonteHillock in the property of the TB sanatorium. That’s not all. Though thepart-commissioned district hospital has a 72-cabinet mortuary in place, patientsare forced to transport the bodies, who die at the hospital during night time,to the TB hospital mortuary.
Those in the know say thatpeople hesitate to visit the mortuary at night, with little or no illuminationon road and stray dogs on the prowl in the area. People also complain over thelocation of the mortuary at one end of the TB hospital complex and theregistration office at the other end.
This has only thrown upquestions why is the government and the health services not throwing thedistrict hospital mortuary open, when the Goa State Infrastructure DevelopmentCorporation (GSIDC) has already handed over the brand new unit to theDirectorate of Health Services long ago.
Sources say the commissioningof the district hospital mortuary would have saved both time and money,required to be spent on the private hearse vans to ferry the bodies to the TBhospital mortuary during night time.
A senior Hospicio doctor toldThe Goan that the hospital officials have to face the brunt of irate citizensin the event of a death during night time, when they have to transport the bodyto the TB Hospital or to the Goa Medical College morgue if there is no space atthe TB hospital mortuary.
“Hospicio does have hearse vanservice, but it is available for the people only during day time. More oftenthan not, the doctors and health workers come face to face with the people forno fault of theirs when they insist that the hospital has no hearse vanfacility after dusk,” remarked the doctor.
The doctor further added: “Commissioningof the district hospital mortuary is a necessity since Hospicio has alreadyshifted its male and female medicine wards to the new hospital. It is indeedunfair for the relatives of the dead that they are required to ferry the bodyfrom the district hospital to the TB mortuary when a 72-unit morgue is locatedright inside the district hospital complex”.
