Team Herald
PORVORIM: A day after Goa Residents Doctor (GRD) held a protest opposing government’s decision to open all 447 interventions to the private hospitals under Deen Dayal Sawasthya Seva (DDSS) scheme, the Congress Party, backing the doctors, on the floor of the House alleged that the health scheme would turn into a major scam, wherein the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) will lose its identity.
Refuting the allegation, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said that the scheme, which will be launched on August 15, is open for revision from March 2017.
“The health insurance scheme will be a major scam. The opening up of all 447 interventions to the private hospital is nothing but a scam to promote these hospital and private doctors,” Congress MLA Pandurang Madkaikar said speaking during the Question Hour.
“If this happen, then GMC will lose its identity,” MLA said bringing to the notice of the State Assembly about the opposition by GRD to the government decision.
Madkaikar said that the scheme will not resolve any problem surrounding the GMC including shortage of crucial medicines for the patients, but would worsen the situation, considering that government would be of the view that DDSS gives treatment free.
However, Parsekar, appealing the House member not to misguide public said that the scheme would be revised by March 2017 end and necessary amendments would be initiated. “We have been saying that the scheme is open for revision. I don’t think that GMC will be affected in any way,” he said.
“Our scheme is for the people of Goa and not for the private hospitals,” Chief Minister commented adding that the same opposition benches were shouting over government failure to open all the interventions to private hospital under the scheme, earlier.
Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Health Francis D’Souza, supporting the Chief Minister, said that the decision to go to a private hospital or GMC totally lies with the patient and government cannot enforce its view.
“Let the patients decide, which hospital they would like to Goa. The only aim behind opening all the intervention in private hospital was to ensure that people from extreme North or South can go to the nearby private hospital then coming to GMC,” he explained.
Earlier, the Congress MLA informed the State Assembly that the patients in GMC are forced to buy the medicines from outside, due to shortage or non availability of the same in the hospital.
The allegation was rubbished by the Minister who said that as when required government floats tender for purchase of National List of Emergency Medicines (NLEM) and non NLEM are purchased locally. “There is no shortage of medicine but we have a cap of up to Rs one lakh per patients,” D’Souza stated.
