Goa's Netravali locals renew demand for health centre

POINGUINIM: Fed up with the poor healthcare facility, locals of the remote Netravali village in Sanguem have renewed their demand for upgrading their rural medical dispensary (RMD) to a primary health centre (PHC).
“The government seems unconcerned about the health of around 4,500 people from the ten wards of Netravali, including the hilly areas of Tudav-Verlem and Salgini,” said an elderly villager.
During emergencies, the villagers are forced to travel 35km to reach the nearest health centre at Sanguem. The nearly 750 villagers residing in the hilly areas of Verlem-Tudov and Salgini have to cover an additional distance of 18km to reach the PHC, with the bad roads making the journey even more cumbersome.
Deputy sarpanch Abhijit Desai told TOI that, in 2017, the panchayat had written to the health authorities requesting that the RMD be upgraded to a PHC following a demand from the villagers. “But so far nothing has happened. The villagers continue to suffer with regards to poor health care facilities,” Desai said.
The Sanguem PHC looks after the RMD. A full-time doctor who was posted from the PHC to the RMD stopped visiting after he was promoted to the post of health officer seven years ago. Since then, the RMD has not had a full-time doctor.
“Presently, a doctor is available only for two hours daily, which hardly serves the medical needs of the villagers. Other than the doctor, the RMD only has the services of a nurse and a pharmacist. There are no clerical or utility staff,” said sarpanch Archana Gaonkar.
When TOI contacted the Sanguem PHC’s health officer Dr Seema Pai Fondekar, she said that after the full time doctor at the RMD was promoted and transferred, no doctor was posted to the Netravalli RMD on a regular basis.
“With no help coming from the government for deputing a full time doctor in the village, the locals under the Netravali Aryog Dham, have got one regular doctor in the village. The doctor charges a nominal fee and is provided with accommodation in the village by the locals,” the deputy sarpanch said.
Despite several calls and messages to Sanguem MLA Prasad Gaonkar, he did not respond.