Times
of India: Bambolim: Saturday, 18 July 2015.
Something
smells foul at the Goa medical college (GMC) and hospital's new
state-of-the-art 108-cabinet mortuary.
Still
nonfunctional, 18 months after being commissioned, it is already missing
equipment worth 14.75 lakh.
Oddly, while
the complaint of the "missing equipment" was filed in November 2014
by the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC), which has
built the forensic block, the Agasaim police are yet to register the case. Even
more odd, when TOI had asked about the "missing equipment" late last
year, police personnel had said the equipment was worth approximately 50,000.
TOI's
inquiries under RTI now reveal that the "missing equipment" are two
saw with dust collectors, used to cut bones, and each priced at 7 lakh, one set
of stainless steel gloves worth 25,000, 50 body bags worth 25,000, and the
charger for a cadaver lift, costing 25,000.
Pointing out
that the missing items have no practical use in non-mortuary contexts, forensic
department personnel told TOI, "Who would want body bags or bone
cutters?" There are serious doubts that the equipment has been
deliberately misplaced.
PI Jivba
Dalvi, who has recently taken charge of Agasaim police station, said the
complaint is being investigated, and GSIDC has been asked to submit vouchers
and other documents pertaining to the missing items. It has also been asked to
explain where the items were located. "We have received only some
documents from GSIDC so far," said Dalvi.
He added that
the Delhi-based contractor, Kay Dee Enterprises, which supplied the equipment
and cabinets, has also been called to Goa next week to give a statement.
The absence
of the crucial equipment has forced forensic doctors to conduct postmortems at
the old, dilapidated mortuary.
TOI's
repeated efforts to get a comment from Jude Carvalho, in-charge of maintenance
at GMC, and later from the deputy chief minister and health minister Francis
D'Souza proved futile.
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