Roque Dias
Margao
The shortage of beds at the South Goa District Hospital (SGDH) resurfaced on Monday, with several patients forced to receive treatment on stretchers, wheelchairs, and even on the floor — a situation that left visitors dismayed.
Upset relatives appealed for urgent action, urging that the hospital’s unused additional floor be opened for patients. They said treatment under such conditions was both difficult and undignified, and called on Health Minister Vishwajit Rane to intervene.
“Receiving treatment in a wheelchair for days is extremely challenging,” said one relative.
Another caretaker said, “The Health Minister and Chief Minister praise their improved facilities, but here, we see no such upgrades. Each day several patients are put on the floor. Many patients are often shifted to the Goa Medical College Hospital. Why this hospital has been ignored for so long is a mystery.”
Hospital doctors declined to comment.
However, a doctor requesting anonymity said, “At times, the patient load increases unexpectedly, and we have to adjust. It’s not that we intentionally keep patients on the floor or in wheelchairs.”
This is not the first time the issue has been raised.
Goa Forward Party chief and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai had earlier visited the hospital with party members, confirmed shortages of doctors, nurses, and beds, and formally written to the Health Department seeking urgent remedies.
Sardesai had also warned of legal action if the crisis persisted.
The matter has been raised in assembly sessions before, but the government is yet to commit to opening the additional floor for patient care, as the premises are earmarked for a nursing college.
