Successive governments have failed to provide basic healthcare facilities at Canacona Community Health Centre particularly
“Although the swanky community health centre, with plenty ofrooms was constructed some seven years back, it lacks basic facilities likewater, proper electricity, doctors, nurses, technicians etc,” informed AjayBhagat, Chairperson of Canacona Municipal Council.
The Health Minister, Laximikant Parsekar paid a visit to theCanacona Community Health Centre (CHC) just a month back and took stock of itsfunctioning.
In fact, Parsekar made an assurance that doctors along withother facilities will be made available at the centre within a week. Almost amonth after his visit nothing has materialized.
“The health minister came and only made promises. Where arethe doctors? What has happened to his assurance to put things in place at theCentre,” questioned an affected patient, who cannot afford to go to privatehospitals.
Sports Minister and local MLA, Ramesh Tawadkar disclosedthat over sixty percent of the people in Canacona taluka are economicallybackward and cannot afford to go to private hospitals. He further said that thejoy that arose among the people when a dialysis unit was installed in Canaconasome five years back was short-lived as it is not fully functional.
Dr Venkatesh Rao, in-charge of the dialysis units atCanacona CHC and Margao Hospicio had brought to the notice of the healthminister the constant power interruptions, which were hampering the dialysisprocess, a key facility in the health center at a place where kidney ailmentsare very common “Power supply gets interrupted 10-15 times a day and it is hardto go about with dialysis when such a thing happens,” Dr Rao said.
Dr Rao further disclosed that there were about 329 patientswho use the facility of dialysis in Canacona. 75 per cent of the patientsdepend on government dialysis units at CHC Canacona, Hospicio Margao and theGMC Bambolim. The remaining 25 per cent use private Mediclaim facility fordialysis, he added.
Doctors have attributed kidney ailments to various factors,but till today the government has failed to pinpoint reasons behind the highestrate of kidney failures in the taluka, said Manoj Naik Gaonkar, a teacher fromShri Mallikarjun High School, Char-Rasta.
