Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza’s impatience with the finance, personnel and administrative departments of the government is understandable. Practically everyone in the State has a problem with a government department so D’Souza’s frustration isn’t misplaced. The only difference is that he is in a position to do something while the aam aadmi is a helpless victim. The deputy chief minister’s lament to reporters at a function held in Mapusa pertained to the Goa Medical College (GMC) which is seemingly heading for a big change. D’Souza has promised autonomy to the GMC, a move aimed at increasing efficiency. There is a huge chance that this move might be good for the GMC and the patients who visit it in search of medical solutions. However, there are a lot of vested interests in the bureaucracy and political class who would want to scuttle it. D’Souza, therefore, has a huge battle to wage before he can free the GMC from the clutches of these vested interests which have permeated every sphere especially in recruitment and purchase. D’Souza needs the support of the medical fraternity, which till today has remained lukewarm to the proposal because the GMC needs to be unshackled for it to become an institution with AIIMS standards.
