Team Herald
PANJIM: The relocation of the Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana (DDSSY) centre from Panjim to Bambolim has led to inconvenience, especially for residents of island villages like Diwar and Sao Mathias.
Residents who rely on DDSSY services claim that the centre was moved to Bambolim before last year’s Lok Sabha elections and has since been functioning with inadequate manpower and infrastructure. They argue that this move contradicts the government’s initiatives like Swayampurna Goa and Sarkar Tumchya Dari, which promote accessible public services.
Prasad Harmalkar, a resident of Diwar, expressed his frustration, stating, “It is causing inconvenience to the people and I really do not understand the reasoning behind shifting the centre to Bambolim. The government seems indifferent to how its policies impact the common people. If policies create difficulties, what is the point of having them? The DDSY scheme benefits the elderly the most, but now, they must travel to Panjim and then to Bambolim just to renew a card. What guarantee do they have that the renewal will be completed in a single day?”
He further criticised the online renewal option, pointing out that many elderly individuals are not familiar with smartphones. “How can you expect an old man, who doesn’t even know how to operate a mobile phone, to renew his card online? Instead of forcing people to adapt, why doesn’t the government change and bring the service to their doorsteps? The best solution would be to establish DDSSY centres at the panchayat level itself,” he suggested.
Another resident, Jerry De Souza, highlighted the transportation difficulties. “It is really tough for islanders to travel to Bambolim, requiring at least two bus changes. We leave home not even knowing if our cards will be renewed the same day. The Health Department should organise camps at panchayats for a few days to make the renewal process easier,” he said.
A resident who preferred to remain anonymous added, “On one hand, the centre is too far, and on the other, hospitals refuse to provide services unless the card is renewed. Expecting people from all over Tiswadi taluka to travel to Bambolim is unreasonable. Many of us cannot renew our cards online as there are no cyber cafés nearby, and network connectivity is poor in some areas.”
Meanwhile, sources from the Directorate of Health Services (DHS) have confirmed that authorities are searching for a new location in Panjim to re-establish a DDSSY centre in the city.