Conceding that the new South Goa district hospital ought to have been completed five years ago, Health Minister, Vishwajit Rane said the government has decided to fast forward the hospital project which is expected to provide relief to the people of Margao and South Goa in general.
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MARGAO
After inspecting the annexe building, Rane observed that the building has outlived its time, but made a mention of Hospicio’s 150-year-old heritage building, saying the heritage building appears better than the annexe building.
“Given that the Hospicio building has outlived its time, a new district hospital was initiated when Digambar Kamat was the chief minister and which was scheduled to be completed five years ago. With the Hospicio annexe building showing signs of strain, we have the only option of fast forwarding the project and shift out of Hospicio at the earliest,” Rane told the media in the presence of the Margao MLA.
When the media sought to know when can the people of Margao expect the government to commission the new district hospital, Vishwajit shot back “you all were there when the plan was discussed during my visit to the hospital under construction last month”.
But, when the media reminded him that he was supposed to take a monthly review of the project with TCP Minister and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai, Vishwajit said the meeting will take place after Sardesai’s return from abroad.
He pointed out that plans drawn up to save the annexe building is only temporary in nature so that the Hospicio can continue to render services to the people without causing any damage.
“Our objective is shift the operations from Hospicio to the new district hospital. The government has drawn up a plan of action to fast forward the new hospital project,” he said.
During his visit to the hospital, the Minister also discussed with the Hospicio authorities the state of
affairs at the mortuary, the ambulances and the post mortem examination. Rane raised these points
with the Hospicio authorities after Margao MLA Digambar Kamat called for streamlining services,
especially the ambulance service and mortuary unit, taking into account the hardships faced by the
citizens. “There’s been complaints that patients are not being shifted to GMC, Bambolim immediately and that the doctors wait for 3-4 patients to transport them together,” Kamat said, while demanding that this practice should stop immediately.
Dr Aira, however, clarified that patients in emergency cases are being shifted to the Goa Medical College Hospital, Bambolim immediately.
Kamat was also requested to use his good offices with the Margao Municipality to get the unknown bodies disposed off from the mortuary to create space for new bodies.
