Diversions will spell doom for GMC: GARD

With the government opening up the Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana (DDSSY) health insurance scheme to private hospitals, Goa Medical College (GMC) resident doctors fear that people will opt for private hospitals over GMC and have thus opposed this decision.

The Goa Association for Resident Doctors (GARD) says that the DDSSY Scheme with 176 procedures shared between GMC and the private sector is acceptable. However, the diversion of 447 procedures to the private sector is strongly opposed by them.

The move is also opposed by the interns and all MBBS students of GMC.

The GARD says that even the 176 procedures shared with the private hospitals are expected to decrease the OPD visits and bed occupancy, they say.

However, GARD adds, keeping in view the welfare of the people of Goa as priority this is not only acceptable but applaudable.

“With the diversion of 447 procedures there would be drastic decrease in patients,” says GARD.

GARD President Akshay Naik said the opening of 447 procedures under the DDSSY scheme looks at short term benefits but long term losses are grave. 

He said GMC is the only medical college in the State and has produced top notch doctors.

He said that as per statistics sharing 176 procedures with the private sector will lead to a 40 to 45 per cent drop in work at GMC and eventually decrease in-patient and out-patient turnover.

Stating that 176 procedures shared between GMC and private sector is acceptable but opening of all 447 procedures to the private sector will be opposed by GARD as well interns and GMC students.

Naik also stated that with the diversion of all 447 procedures there will be a drop in the quality of doctors graduating from GMC, and the college and hospital will reach a point similar to private deemed teaching institutes, producing theoretically sound doctors with no practical exposure.

“Today GMC has 150 MBBS seats out of which 100 are recognised and 50 seats are only approved and await recognition by MCI inspection in January 2017. MCI among its requirements needs a college with bed occupancy of 75% and daily OPD visit load of 1200,” Naik stated. 

He further says that as of today our bed occupancy is 79-81% and OPD visits average at around 1400-1600. This patient turnover is the main reason why our seats were increased from 100 to 150 and corresponding increases in post graduate seats.