BY SUDESH BHOSLE | NT
VASCO: The Sub District Hospital (Cottage Hospital) at Chicalim which is one of the biggest health centre’s in Mormugao taluka is plagued with shortage of medical officers, causing hardships to patients.
As per information from some of the patients, a lone medical officer Dr Satish Pednekar has been attending to patients for almost a week at the casualty and at the outpatient department (OPD) in the absence of other medical officers who are on leave or when they have been sent for training.
“Patients visiting the Sub District Hospital are facing a lot of inconvenience in the absence of medical officers”, said Prashant Parab of New-Vaddem. He disclosed that emergency patients are forced to shift to private hospitals in absence of medical officers at the Chicalim Cottage Hospital.
“The demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 also have hit the patients badly wherein the people face a lot of inconvenience while availing treatment in private hospitals”, added Parab.
“People who come from poor and middle class families avail treatment from Sub District Hospital, but due to absence of medical officers, they have difficulty as they have to stand for hours in long queues at the OPDs and casualty which is handled by a lone doctor”, said Parab.
The Sub District Hospital caters to a population of over 2 lakh. People from slum dwelling areas of Zuarinagar, Birla, Zorint, Mangor-Hill, Gandhinagar, Baina, Khariwada as well as from all four constituencies of Mormugao taluka including Mormugao, Vasco, Dabolim and Cortalim visit the hospital to avail medical treatment.
The patients visiting the hospital have demanded that the Health Minister and the Directorate of Health Services (DHS) to make immediate provisions to deploy more medical officers.
When contacted the health officer Vasco Urban Health Centre Dr Rashmi Khandeparkar who also looks after additional charge of the Sub District Hospital said that for the last couple of days, the casualty has been taken care by a lone doctor in the absence of other medical officers who are on leave or gone for training.
“Among the two sanctioned medical officers, one is presently deployed at Curchorem while the other has tendered her resignation”, said Dr Khandeparkar and opined that there is a need for filling the vacant posts in order to cater to the needs of patients.
“I am constantly following up the issue of filling up vacant posts with the DHS, since hundreds of patients face major inconvenience when they come to the hospital for availing medical treatment”, said Dr Khandeparkar.