ROHAN SHRIVASTAV | NT
PANAJI: The Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim has become a hotbed for malpractices by private pathology laboratories. The agents of these labs zero in on the people from neighbouring states visiting the OPDs and ‘help’ them in getting blood tests done at the private labs.
“There are many patients who come down to Goa for treatment at the GMC. These outside patients do not know much about the areas like Santa Cruz and Taleigao which are closer to the GMC. The agents zero in on them for blood tests. Moreover they arrange accommodations for them at low rates, fetching commissions in the process. There are less chances of these persons getting caught,” a senior GMC staff
member said.
A racket ran by private pathologists in connivance with the GMC staff was busted in 2013. Agents of the private pathologists used to be allowed into the wards to take blood samples. Henceforth the agents have been barred from entering the wards.
These agents now target the people visiting the OPDs.
He claimed that many a times these agents pick up the patients visiting the OPDs and take them in their vehicles to private pathology labs. After blood tests are conducted the patients are dropped back to the GMC.
And for doing this the agent charges a commission.
Most of the GMC staffers are aware of this malpractice effectively perfected by the agents of private laboratories using the premises of GMC, he said adding that there is no strong evidence to expose the nexus.
Many a times GMC doctors are forced to recommend the patients to get blood test done at a private laboratory when health condition of patients deteriorates. By doing so the test report is obtained as soon as possible, enabling doctors to go ahead with the required treatment.
“The GMC pathologists are hamstrung to provide quick service as there is heavy workload. Everyday innumerous blood tests are conducted,” the senior GMC staffer said.
Illustrating how the agents play upon the helplessness of outsiders visiting the GMC, a person from Karnataka said that he paid an agent who helped him get his daughter’s blood test done the same day when it had been prescribed by a doctor. The report was handed over to the man the very next day.
“If I had to do the same blood test at the GMC itself then I would have to wait for at least seven days,” he said.
The poor man and his other family members have used the GMC as a shelter and slept on the hospital floor.
“I don’t have money to spend on accommodation for my four-member family. We all spend our night sleeping on the hospital floor. I can’t wait as monsoon is fast approaching and I need to get back to my village and start farming as early as possible; or else I will have to struggle to feed my family until the next monsoon… Hence I am forced to take the help of this agent,” he added.
Wadhwa Gowda, a 53-year-old woman from Karnataka, said the agents prowl on the OPD patients. On Friday one of agents accosted her the moment she came out of the OPD after consulting a doctor.
“The agent said that he would help me in getting blood test done outside the GMC in a jiffy. But I lied to him saying that the doctor has not prescribed any blood test for me… I am new to this place and being alone I feared he may attack me if I refused,” Gowda said.