Margao TB patients in the dark oHERALDo BY GUILHERME ALMEIDA MARGAO, JAN 18 - A fresh coat of paint over the dusty walls might have given a new look to the long-neglected T B Sanatorium atop Monte Hill, Margao, one may say. But, the ordeal faced by the TB patients inside the mammoth building appears far from over.
If the mortuary housed in the sanatorium was a cause of nuisance for patients and staff alike after the unit went out of order few months ago, it's the repairs now that has literally plunged certain sections of the hospital, including the male ward, into darkness during the nights. Courtesy: low voltage. So much so, the tube lights have failed to function for the last 18 days, forcing the staff to light up the wards with candles. When this reporter visited the TB Sanatorium, some patients pointed to candles provided by the staff to make up for the non-functioning tube lights. And, they said this situation has been existing for more than a fortnight ever since the Health Services repaired the two mortuary units after delays. When contacted, T B Hospital Medical Superintendent, Dr Ravindra Nadkarni admitted that the power situation has turned bad after the re-commissioning of the mortuary. "The low voltage has rendered the tube lights useless. I have written to the PWD and the Power department to take up the necessary works immediately", he maintained. Incidentally, sources in the know say that though the mortuary was installed around a year ago, many a basic infrastructure is yet to fall in place. Inquiries reveal that the power situation may stabilise only after the Power Department either connects the sanatorium to the nearby sub-station with a new direct line or erects a transformer inside the hospital premises. Incidentally, only one of the two mortuary units is functioning for the moment for want of bodies, but the hospital staff doubted the power scenario in the sanatorium if both the units had to function together. The newly-installed mortuary unit at the T B Sanatorium was in the news last year when two bodies decomposed following a snag in the cooling system.