UNHEALTHY CONDITIONS AT MAPUCA ASILO HOSPITAL

A month has passed by since the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat, along with Mr Vishwajeet Rane, the Minister for Health, the Mapusa MLA, Mr Francis D'Souza and the Director of Health Services, Dr Rajnanda Dessai, had visited the dilapidated Mapusa Asilo hospital.

On that visit, Mr Kamat had assured that he would hold a meeting of all the concerned authorities, immediately after the Assembly Session and 'partly' shift the working of the old Asilo to the New District Hospital at Peddem, as a start. However this is yet to happen. Even the medical superintendent of the Asilo, when contacted, said that so far he not received any written order to this effect. With this delay the public and ailing people of North Goa are forced to put up with the tremendous difficulties and hardships caused at the Asilo hospital at Mapusa.

The Asilo hospital, an important lifeline of North Goa, once upon a time, had all the latest up-to-date medical facilities and was a boon in the medical field to the people of North Goa. The Asilo had all facilities ranging from casualty, OPD, pathology, sonography, X-Ray machine, ICCU, OT, pharmacy, blood bank and a morgue. The OPD was commissioned in the seventies, first floor in 1981, and ICCU in 1987.

However, in recent years, the morgue was closed and used as a storeroom. Although there are 30 specialised doctors and 22 medical officers, it is not enough to cope with the rush experienced everyday, as there is a great number of patients who come for treatment here, particularly on Fridays.

Most of the doctors working here are also engaged in private practice and do not give proper attention to patients at Asilo. The pharmacy closes quite early in the evening, forcing people to buy medicines from the other pharmacies. It was also noticed that some tablets given at the hospital pharmacy had melted in their strips, even before the expiry date. Some patients questioned how such medicines could be given by the pharmacy staff, saying that this could be one of the reasons why health of the patients does not improve here.

The registration counter also closes at 12 noon. Due to poor back up power, the medical equipment cannot be used in case of a power shut down. On September 3, during a power shut down patients who had come for sonography were rudely told that they would have to make fresh appointments. The condition of the Asilo hospital is getting worse by the day. There are wires hanging everywhere, plaster from the walls is peeling off, grass has grown wild behind and around the hospital, the backyard is filthy and the general hygiene is deplorable. There are red marks of paan spit on the walls and the toilets are filthy and poorly maintained. Tending to a sick relative during the night is a nightmare. The male ward is absolutely shabby with even fungus noticed under the bed mattress. The female medicine ward and the paediatric ward are much better, but then these are maintained by the Rotary Club and the Lions Club.

All these factors point that the government either has no control over the functioning of the Asilo or is least bothered of what goes on there. Entering the Asilo is sure to worsen the condition of the patient. There are however, a few doctors and nurses, who try their best to act humanely under these trying conditions.

It is reported that every facility and equipment is ready at the new District hospital, but there is still no sign of when the shifting exercise will begin. The government is already spending lakhs of rupees on maintenance of machines, even though the hospital has not been inaugurated. The warranty on some of the machines has already lapsed.  There are reports that shifting of the Asilo could be done before Ganesh Chaturthi, however, no one could either confirm or deny this.

Meanwhile, the Mapusa BJP block president, Mr Rajsingh Rane has said that they had pinned hopes on the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat and had withdrawn their planned agitation. “As Ganesh Chaturthi is approaching we have suspended our plans for the time being, however, if there are no sign of shifting the Asilo, then we will start our agitation in the last week of September.”

A boy who recently met with an accident and was treated at the Asilo hospital said that he was very badly treated by the staff, who even put stitches on him without giving him local anesthesia. He said he was subjected to extreme pain when his wounds were being dressed. Meanwhile, it is reliably learnt that efforts are underway to shift the Asilo hospital to its new premises and the shifting could take place on September 16. In this regard, the Health Minister, Mr Vishwajeet Rane is learnt to have moved a note and three departments, including radiology, gynaecology and medicine, are likely to be shifted in the first phase and gradually other departments would be shifted later. (NT)