Patients referred to private hospitals due to lack of liver specialist at GMC: Mayem MLA
PORVORIM: Mayem MLA Premendra Shet on Wednesday urged the government to appoint a liver specialist at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC), Bambolim, as patients are currently being directed to private hospitals for treatment. During Zero Hour, Shet highlighted to the Health Minister that patients referred to the GMC with liver ailments were not receiving proper treatment and were being directed to private hospitals due to the absence of a liver specialist at GMC.
Patients from underprivileged backgrounds cannot afford treatment in private hospitals due to high fees and medication costs, leading to a situation where some patients are left untreated and may lose their lives. Shet expressed grave concern over this issue and requested the Health Minister to address it by appointing a liver specialist at GMC to alleviate the fear and anxiety among patients in the public interest. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured him that he would look into the matter.
Contract workers cannot be regularised as per Supreme Court order: CM Sawant
PORVORIM: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday stated that the government is providing all benefits to contract workers, but as per a Supreme Court order, they cannot be made direct or regular employees.
During his Zero Hour mention, Bicholim MLA Dr Chandrakant Shetye highlighted the increasing fear, frustration, anxiety, and apprehension among thousands of people in Goa who are working in government departments on a contractual basis, work charge basis, or under other contractual service arrangements.
He noted that some of these workers have served government departments for many years, and their request for regularisation of their service is legitimate and just. He urged the government to come up with a comprehensive plan to regularise such contractual staff by the end of this financial year.
However, the Chief Minister responded by stating that, according to the Court’s ruling, contract workers do not have the right to regularisation, even though the State government is providing them with all the benefits enjoyed by regular workers.