Shortage of staff, space hits functioning of Hospicio

MARGAO: The death of a nine-year old girl in a waiting ambulance at the Hospicio, Margao, on Wednesday, has once again brought to the fore the crumbling infrastructural facilities at the hospital. Though the

Hospicio

cannot be blamed for the child’s death, sources pointed out that the problem lay in the acute shortage of doctors and paramedical staff.

The cancer patient died while waiting to be shifted to the

Goa Medical College

and Hospital (GMC) as requested by her parents following the doctor’s advice that she either be taken home or to the GMC as her condition was slipping rapidly.

“The practice of taking several patients in one ambulance has been going on for a long time now. However, it’s not the problem of inadequate ambulances as the Hospicio has three ambulances, and requisitions ambulances from nearby health facilities if the need arises. As is the practice, one nurse always accompanies patients in the ambulance while being shifted to GMC, and this means one of the wards is left without a nurse until the ambulance returns,” Dr Venkatesh Hegde, president of the visiting committee of the Hospicio, told TOI.

Nearly a year ago, Hegde had submitted a report to health minister Vishwajit Rane, pointing out the problems plaguing Hospicio. Drawing Rane’s attention to inadequate beds in the 217-bed hospital, Hegde had made a strong case for creating two new wards for medicine and

gynaecology

departments. Hegde had also suggested shifting the forensic department to Monte Hill where a new morgue is located, as also shifting some wards like

dialysis

, ENT,

psychiatry

to the old collectorate building.

None of the recommendations made in the report have been acted upon, he said.

“The problem is that successive governments have not accorded priority to the timely completion of the new district hospital. Until the new hospital gets functional, it’s imperative that Hospicio gets the desired attention of the authorities. Hospicio is the lifeline of the common man, and it should remain as such,” Hegde said.

The new district hospital is slated for completion by December.