FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2024
Team Herald
MARGAO: Congress candidate Captain Viriato Fernandes has voiced concerns over the future of healthcare in South Goa, accusing the BJP of planning to privatise the sector. He pledged that the South Goa District Hospital would remain under government control under a Congress-led government, ensuring access to quality healthcare for all residents.
Captain Viriato promised immediate action to start essential medical units such as the ICU, Cath Lab, and Neurosurgery Unit. He criticised Health Minister Vishwajit Rane’s proposal to privatise the South Goa District Hospital in exchange for establishing a medical college, condemning it as a betrayal of the people’s trust.
Asserting that the hospital, originally initiated by Congress, aimed to provide affordable healthcare, Viriato highlighted that construction had reached nearly 70 per cent completion by 2012 under Congress leadership. However, he claimed that the BJP government managed only 30 per cent completion over the subsequent eight years.
Capt Viriato said “There is a lack of adequate facilities, at the Sough Goa District Hospital. The hospital has transformed into a mere referral centre, redirecting patients to the Goa Medical College hospital in Bambolim, or private hospitals”
Viriato Fernandes demanded an explanation from Health Minister Vishwajit Rane regarding the government’s failure to initiate essential medical units despite spending significant funds on organising events. He alleged that the BJP government had spent almost Rs 1,000 crore on various events in Goa over the last 11 years. “Wednesday’s statement of the Health Minister is a warning alarm for South Goa. If BJP comes to power in Delhi, even health care facilities will be privatised and every treatment will be charged,” he alleged.
Rane announces plans for private medical college at Margao’s South District Hospital
PANJIM: Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said on Wednesday that a private medical college will be established to provide modern and prompt medical facilities to the people of South Goa at the South District Hospital in Margao.
Additional seats will be reserved for Goan students in this college, while the hospital will feature specialist doctors, an intensive care unit, and Cath-lab services, he informed.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP office, Rane said that the government had worked to provide free modern medical care while ensuring the health of every Goan. He added that the Chief Minister is considering integrating Ayushman Bharat and Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana to ensure maximum health benefits for every Goan. Rane also disclosed the possibility of AIIMS hospitals being established in Goa in the near future. He mentioned the construction of a Rs 350 crore Cancer Hospital and noted that Goa is providing free cancer injections worth Rs 4.5 lakh and chemotherapy facilities, along with being the first State to offer robotic surgery and IVF facilities free of cost.
