PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Friday directed the State government not to keep any post of medical officers, nurses and other para-medical staff vacant and also to review the requirement for enhancing the number of posts from time-to-time depending on the contemporary needs and requirements.
The High Court has also directed the State government to maintain the government hospitals, health centres and dispensaries and to introduce and maintain a systematic mechanism of continuous supply of medicines to all the hospitals and health care centres.
Apart from the existing committees and the advisory council, the State is directed to permanently constitute a committee headed by the Secretary (Health), Director of Health Services, both the District Collectors, a social worker from a reputed and recognised NGO concerned with health welfare. Such Committee will meet every meet and shall oversee and address all issues in regard to the appointment of staff, providing for infrastructure facilities, provision for medicines, maintenance of hygiene of the public hospitals and all other issues touching the management and administration of the hospitals and health care centres in the light of court observations.
While disposing of a writ petition by two Cortalim residents Prakash Sardessai and Vishwesh Sardessai in 2007, the Court also directed the respondent authorities to provide powers to the head of the department to utilise an appropriate budget made available to him at his disposal, so that none of the patients suffer for want of finance in procurement of essential requirements like medicines (special medicines) including to secure urgent maintenance of equipment and other urgent essential requirements at his discretion.
The Court has also directed the respondent authorities to create and maintain specialised facilities for poor, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, women and children.
The division bench comprising Justice G S Kulkarni and Justice B P Deshpande has concluded the judgement with the words of the Greek Scholar Francois Rabelais: “Without health, life is not life; it is only a State of langour and suffering – an image of death.”
The petitioners had raised issues of seminal importance in regard to the health care facilities at the government hospitals, clinics and dispensaries in the State. They had also raised issued related to health care of the common men in three main hospitals and the primary health centres across the State being below the prescribed standards and to direct the government to upgrade the health care facilities.
