Government’s decision to set up a medical college in South Goa through the Public-Private-Participation (PPP) route and link it to the new South Goa district hospital is a positive step in the current scenario. Still, much will depend on how the health ministry goes about the job and protects the interests of the common man. Given the precarious financial situation of the State where several projects are hit, including the new hospital in Margao, taking the PPP route is seen as a better option. One, it will not pass on any financial burden to an already stressed treasury, and people of Goa could benefit from better medical facilities and treatment which are currently not available in the State.
The fiscal crisis is a significant reason to worry for now, and several projects which are in the pipeline have been affected. The proposed new district hospital is now into its ninth year, and after missing out on several deadlines, the project is yet to be handed over to the Directorate of Health Services. From July to September and November-end, deadlines have just passed by due to financial issues. There were compelling reasons to expedite this because of the pathetic conditions at Hospicio. Patients have been sleeping on floors and sharing beds and inconsistencies in services have forced patients to take the GMC route. The very fact that the government has not moved in all its swiftness highlights the fact that there are major issues. Also, the government is not in a position to go into a recruitment overdrive given the financial burden it will add on. And filling the 1000-odd posts the Health Ministry advertised recently appears to be far from reality. The government is not in a position to invest heavily in setting up infrastructure in the health sector either.
PPP for setting up a medical college has its benefits, but the government has to be very cautious while dealing with private players. Similar experiments elsewhere have had drastic consequences on the people of the land. Private players are known to run projects like a business enterprise, even if it is the healthcare sector where monetary benefits supersede everything. Health facilities in such PPP experiments could come at a hefty price putting facilities beyond the reach of the ordinary citizens. It is here the government has to be watchful because the very purpose of this experiment could be defeated. The memorandum of understanding needs to be clear in all aspects, and the interests of the people of Goa should be foremost in mind.
We agree with the fact that the health ministry should show transparency. However, vested leaders should not use such issues to settle political scores. The PPP proposal was mooted during the Late Manohar Parrikar regime, and not a word was spoken against it then. Why were questions not asked then, and why were there no calls for debate? Going into past failures of such projects cannot be the sole reason to reject it now.
