The state of affairs at South Goa District Hospital exposes a troubling disconnect between infrastructure and service delivery, a gap that needs to be bridged urgently. Despite being a premier healthcare facility for the district, the hospital is grappling with a severe bed shortage, forcing patients to either seek treatment on stretchers and wheelchairs or return home untreated. While Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured the Legislative Assembly on Thursday that the government will take immediate steps to address the acute bed shortage, the issue leaves several questions wide open.
This crisis undermines the very purpose of establishing a comprehensive health facility in the first place, and brings into sharp focus the non-utilisation of available spaces on the top two floors of the hospital, which have remained vacant for nearly five years. The idea of installing a nursing college on the top floors is baffling when there is a space crisis at the hospital.
While the idea of a nursing college is commendable in principle, its location is questionable. The proposed nursing college at the district hospital, which has been discussed intermittently, could serve to increase the pool of trained healthcare professionals, easing the existing manpower crunch, but there is no compelling reason to set it up at the hospital. The idea is short-sighted and does not factor in the growing healthcare needs of South Goa. The immediate need is to address the hospital’s infrastructural deficit, which directly impacts patient care, rather than diverting resources to educational initiatives that can be located elsewhere.
While infrastructure is one part of the issue, the manpower shortage is the second side. Expanding bed capacity without a commensurate increase in doctors, nurses, and support staff will only worsen the workload on the already overstretched workforce. Currently, staff are operating beyond their limits, working overtime to keep the system afloat. Merely adding beds without increasing human resources risks compromising patient safety and prolonging treatment times, which would defeat the purpose of capacity expansion.
The government must have a long-term perspective. Healthcare needs are rising steadily, driven by population growth, lifestyle changes, and emerging health challenges. The hospital’s limitations extend beyond the number of beds. While the recent addition of an ICU is a positive step, the facility still lacks critical specialities such as cardiac and neurological units. Given the increasing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and neurological conditions, the hospital must be equipped with the necessary infrastructure and specialist manpower to cater to these needs. Relying solely on referrals to the Goa Medical College (GMC) is no longer feasible, considering GMC’s own overstretched capacity.
The focus has to be on strengthening the overall functionality of South Goa District Hospital, keeping in mind the long-term requirements. We cannot take comfort in the fact that people have been evacuated from the miseries they were facing at the old Hospicio. The 350-bed capacity, or even a 500-bed capacity, will fall woefully short in the years to come.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane’s reforms have brought commendable changes in the health sector, but healthcare delivery requires ongoing, adaptive strategies. Infrastructure, manpower, and speciality services must evolve together. Service to the people has to be the topmost priority.
