Photo caption:
The hearse van lying outside the Hospicio mortuary with the dead body from Sanguem. Sanguem MLA Subhash Faldesai making a point to Hospicio medical superintendent Dr Aira Almeida at the hospital. Santosh Mirajkar
Such callousness on the part of the doctor cannot be accepted. How can the doctor go missing when relatives of the dead cannot perform the last rites for want of a post mortem. We want a detailed inquiry into the episode and action against the doctor,"
- Subhash Faldesai, Sanguem MLA
MARGAO
Hospicio witnessed a huge uproar after the medico-legal surgeon drafted to conduct post mortems could not be contacted on Saturday morning after reporting for work, forcing the hospital authorities and the police to ferry two bodies to the Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim for the autopsies.
The lady medicoÂ-legal surgeon, Dr Svetlana Gomes, who is believed to have signed the muster roll in the morning was nowhere around Hospicio as the authorities, including Medical Superintendent Dr Aira Almeida could not contact her till 1 pm. Later, the hospital was informed that the lady doctor, Dr Svetlana Gomes got herself admitted at the Curchorem health center after she complained of uneasiness.
Matters came to a head when Sanguem MLA Subhash Faldesai rushed to Hospicio after a dead body from his constituency was awaiting post mortem examination since Friday night. The Sanguem MLA and the residents called for immediate action against the medicoÂ-legal surgeon, demanding that the government check and verify the medical certificates of the lady doctor.
“Such callousness on the part of the doctor cannot be accepted. How can the doctor go missing when relatives of the dead cannot perform the last rites for want of a post mortem. We want a detailed inquiry into the episode and action against the doctor," Faldesai demanded, while seeking to know how Dr Gomes was admitted in Curchorem when she had signed the muster roll at Hospicio in the morning.
Trouble started around noon when two dead bodies, one from Sanguem and another from Gandhi market, who had succumbed to burn injuries, were awaiting post mortem examination at the hospital. The body from Sanguem, relatives stated was brought for autopsy Friday night, but had to be shifted to the Ponda hospital, for want of space at the Margao TB sanatorium mortuary. When the relatives brought the body from Ponda in an hearse van, they found the Hospicio mortuary closed and nobody around to attend to them. In the meantime, relatives of the burn victim, who were also awaiting the medicoÂ-legal surgeon, complained of the absence of the medicoÂ-legal surgeon and the morgue attendants to carry out the post mortem examination.
It was only after Hospicio medical superintendent, Dr Ira Almeida spoke to the Health Director Dr S Dalvi that the GMC authorities agreed to conduct the autopsies on the two bodies. “We had almost resolved the issue around noon when the Health Director spoke to the GMC authorities to do post mortem examination on the two bodies. I had come to the hospital to ensure that the letter goes to the GMC to carry out the examination," Dr Almeida added.
On the disappearance of the lady medicoÂ-legal doctor from the hospital, Dr Almeida said that Dr Gomes could not report to the hospital as she had reported sick and was admitted to the hospital.
*****
Health minister assures detailed report on episode
MARGAO: Health Minister, Francis D’Souza told the media that he would ask for a detailed report on the episode at Hospicio on Saturday in respect of the nonÂ-availability of the medicoÂ-legal surgeon to conduct post mortem examinations.
In an informal chat with the media during his visit to the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao on Saturday evening, the Health Minister said that he will call for a report from the Health Director on the episode on Monday. He, however, pointed out that MLA Vishwajit Rane had called him on Friday night to inform him on the nonÂ-availability of medico-legal surgeon to conduct autopsy at the hospital.
“Accordingly, I spoke to the Health Director to get in touch with the GMC authorities so that the body is handed over to the relatives immediately after an autopsy," he said, while feigning ignorance about the episode on Saturday.
