the goan I network
MARGAO
When as many as 10 staff nurses, including two matrons, servants, as many police personnel on duty, besides security guards attached to the Hospicio, fell victims to dengue earlier this month, those responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the government-run hospital ought to have moved into the complex immediately to get rid of the thick vegetation and potential breeding sites.
Just pay a visit to the 150-year-old hospital building and do not be surprised if government agencies are still not engaged in any clean-up operation, leave alone certifying that the hospital premises is free from dengue breeding sites.
If the front portion of the hospital building, which once housed a garden, is covered with a thick carpet of vegetation, bushes and plants grown right along the corridor near the OT unit, heading to the maternity ward and the male medicine wards. This despite the fact that a number of staff nurses had fallen prey to dengue, and some of whom have returned for work after medication.
On its part, the Margao Urban Health Centre had undertaken fogging of the entire Hospicio premises, but the presence of the thick vegetation, bushes and shrubs had only made matters worse for the health authorities.
And, when the urban health centre team returned back to Hospicio on Saturday, it found that the thick vegetation has not been cleaned up by the authorities and neither were the potential breeding sites capped. On the contrary, large part of the vegetation and bushes, which offers perfect resting place for the mosquitoes, continues where it is, only raising questions on the responsibility of the government agencies such as the PWD and GSIDC in the upkeep and maintenance of the hospital premises.
When The Goan called up Hospicio Medical Superintendent Dr Ira Almeida to shed light on the failure and delay on the part of the government agencies to act and clear the mess at the Hospicio complex, she only said the hospital has on Monday engaged a group of labourers to clean up the premises of the vegetation. “The upkeep and maintenance of Hospicio is looked after by the PWD and the GSIDC. But, since the situation is serious, we have decided to engage labourers to carry out the clean up operation,” she added.
To a question, Dr Ira said the hospital authorities have identified eight spots within the hospital complex for the clean up operation. “While the labourers had started the work today, we expect the work to gain momentum by Tuesday so that the entire vegetation is cleared from the complex,” she added.
Besides clearing the vegetation, the Margao Urban Health Officer Dr Anju Kharangate had on Saturday directed the Hospicio management to take a host of measures, including cleaning up of the drain running parallel to the OT unit, closure of the septic tank lid and doing away with potential breeding sites and water accumulation points in the hospital complex.
