24 Sep 2020  |   05:46am IST

Goa to bid for greenfield medical device park project

Appoints Pricewaterhouse Coopers as consultant to draft proposal; Verna Industrial Estate identified as potential location
Goa to bid for greenfield medical device park project

Team Herald


PANJIM: The State government has decided to bid for one of the Centre’s four greenfield medical device park projects, that are being proposed with substantial central funding and assistance.

The State Cabinet on Wednesday accorded its approval for the proposal of a medical device park and appointment of Pricewaterhouse Coopers as a consultant to draft the proposal for the State.

Addressing media persons, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant said Goa will bid for this, under which medical equipment would be manufactured in bulk.

“Centre has proposed to come up with four such medical device parks in the country. We will also bid for it and try our best to get one park in Goa. We have appointed the consultant to draft the proposal for submission,” Sawant said.

The State has identified Verna Industrial Estate as a potential location and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) is likely to be the implementing agency for the project.

“We are not saying that we will get the project but we will try our best,” the Chief Minister said.

In another decision, the cabinet granted its nod for recruitment of 126 posts of nurses, pharmacist, LDC and other medical staff on contractual basis for COVID duty at Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC).

Sawant said that the decision was taken since there was shortage of staff in view of several GMC wards being converted into COVID wards.

The cabinet also approved recruitment of one oncologist in GMC on contract basis and six nurses and four attendants for the South Goa COVID hospital. It also granted ex post facto approval for Rs 12 crore COVID-related expenses.


IDhar UDHAR

Idhar Udhar