Ponda: ‘Sub-district hospital needs specialists, equipment’

PONDA: Concerned about the lack of specialised services at the Ponda sub-district hospital, the chief of Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), Ponda wing , Ketan Bhatikar has demanded that the government focus on posting surgeons and procuring sophisticated medical equipment for the hospital, rather than wasting money on the construction of guest houses on the outskirts of the town.

Referring to the recent visit of the chief minister to a guest house being constructed at Curti, Bhatikar said the government was wasting public money on unecessary projects, rather than prioritising health. Bhatikar, a physiotherapist by profession,said the availability of specialists in cardiology, neurology, orthopaedics at the hospital, as well as services like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans at the Ponda hospital would ease the burden on the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) at Bambolim.

The sub-district hospital has a visiting cardiologist that consults at the outpatient department thrice a week. Presently, the hospital refers serious cases to GMC, but sometimes patients die on the way, he said.