The government has given permission to start a private medical college in South Goa District Hospital (SGDH) at Margao and the State’s own Minister for Health Vishwajit Rane himself has confirmed the same. He ascertained that the college will be started in order to provide better health services for the patients in Goa and will be linked to South Goa District Hospital. The respective decision is surprising as it will lead to scepticism and the government should immediately withdraw this idea to avoid that.
The government need to first understand the difference between private and public entities. These two are poles apart and hence cannot come or merge together. If this decision was to be implemented, then it will create major administrative problems in future. Margao’s hospital was upgraded to the status of district hospital which is where it get its name from. Similarly, Mapusa houses a district hospital for North Goa. Both these hospitals are administered by their parental institution which is State government’s Directorate of Health Services. When looking at the bigger picture, Goa Medical College’s hospital at Bambolim comes under the same Directorate as well. The government hospital and Goa Medical College, both government entities, are two sides of the same coin.
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The system at GMC is such that it allows its students to practice at the hospital while studying, as part of their curriculum. The doctor-professors teaching at the college also provide their services at the hospital while some staff is meant to work exclusively for the hospital. In short, the staff of college and the hospital at GMC are so intertwined that they seem to be one. However, there are differences. For example, the students of GMC has to follow the rules laid by Goa University as the medical college is affiliated to them but the hospital staff is not bound by the same. Once this system is understood, one would realise how troublesome it will be if the South Goa District Hospital is given to a private college for usage. The professors teaching at the private college will be their own staff and so will be the students. They will be allowed to use the facilities of the government hospital but will their staff be allowed to give services at the hospital? If the private entity is going to benefit more from this decision, then why should government do this? What will the government truly gain by starting a private college in a public hospital? Even if one was to consider that the government hospital would benefit from wide skill set of the private college’s personnel, the private staff would still hugely benefit from the advanced infrastructure of the south Goa district hospital.
GMC send some of their students to SGDH for training and after serving their given tenure, they return to GMC. Once they finish their degrees they’re eligible to provide medical services anywhere. Since GMC is affiliated to Goa University, the students who graduate from the medical college pass out as GU degree holders. Now, whom the upcoming private medical college will be affiliated to? Goa University, some other university or will it be an autonomous institution? There is no reliable information available to answer these questions which cast a shadow of doubt over the government’s intentions to let a private entity utilise such a huge government system. If the government is willing to expand the facilities in South Goa then they should do so on their own.
If the SGDH is allowed to be used for the private institution tomorrow, then will the cost for the services be raised or remain the same? If it is going to be hiked then how exactly is it beneficial for the patients? If the government is of the opinion that a private medical college’s entry in the State will help local students to study medicine better, then the respective institution can open their college on their own. The students can take admissions on their own by following the respective procedure. And if the government wishes to accommodate more students in medical studies then they can do so by increasing the seats in GMC and by expanding the college’s capacity. But, letting a private entity to utilise government system is not right as it might brew more problems.
