Panaji: Since March last year, a number of initiatives have been taken up to improve the quality of public healthcare in the state. While much more undoubtedly needs to be done to do away with the inertia that has set into the public health department, a beginning has been made, nonetheless.
The government has floated a fresh tender inviting bids to implement its flagship scheme, Deen Dayal Swashtya Seva Yojana (DDSSY). Some officials, however, feel the state could have done without the scheme as it is already pouring in crores of rupees to improve public healthcare.
“With Goa having one of the best healthcare facilities in the country, the least the government could have done was to restrict benefits of the health insurance scheme to the needy only,” a government official said.
The DDSSY is open to all residents of Goa who have a domicile of five years. It was recently modified to allow even those residing in the state for two to four years to apply, subject to the condition that such applicants pay the full premium prescribed for the family unit. A tender was also floated to select a fresh insurance company to execute the scheme.
Apart from this cashless medical insurance scheme, the government has undertaken the task of upgrading and repairing primary health centres that had been long neglected. Construction of the Margao district hospital, however, has not progressed as planned.
“We expect the hospital to be completed and commissioned by the end of this year at least. The government has missed many deadlines,” a government doctor said, even as he lauded the improvement in the quality of the 108 ambulance service, a project that was personally monitored by health minister Vishwajit Rane.
“A functioning of the tertiary hospital has also improved after health minister made it clear that he would not take no for an answer,” said a GMC doctor. The super specialty project remained pending for over three years but health minister has been pursuing since he took the charge. A foundation stone for the project was laid recently.
Similarly, Rane has taken keen interest in setting up cancer center at GMC and hospital, Bambolim. A central government sectioned project two years ago, had been left pending until Rane started pushing things. Chief minister Manohar Parrikar has made a budget provision of Rs 8 crore for setting up a cancer center in the GMC.
The area that has remained much neglected is Ayush related projects. Union Ayush minister Shripad Naik announced projects two years, have hardly progressed including a setting up of Ayush hospital.
