MARGAO
Even as Health Minister Vishwajit Rane’s proposal to set up a private medical college at the South Goa district hospital building under Centre’s NITI AYOG policy has become a subject of intense debate, inquiries by The Goan has revealed that the top two floors of the South Goa district hospital has already been planned and logistics put in place to house a nursing college.
The Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) has already completed the work at South Goa district hospital’s top two floors for the proposed nursing college and not for a medical college. Lecture rooms, staff rooms, and the logistics required to cater to the needs of a nursing college have been done on the building’s top two floors.
GSIDC officials informed that the work on the top two floors of the building has been executed as per the plans submitted by the Directorate of Health Services to house a nursing college. The top floors have already been handed over to the Health Director after executing the interior work to meet the requirements of a nursing college.
“The GSIDC has planned and executed work on the top two floors of the district hospital for a nursing college. Elaborate arrangements have been made inside these two floors to meet all requirements of a nursing college,” a senior GSIDC official told The Goan.
The official added: “It’s another matter whether the top two floors can be redesigned and modified to play host to a medical college.”
The official, however, hastened to add that GSIDC has received no brief from the government or the Health Services to modify the top floors to house the private college.
The Congress government headed by chief minister Digambar Kamat had planned an 800-bedded South Goa district hospital at Margao over a decade and a half ago. Work had commenced in right earnest on the hospital project before it came to an abrupt halt after a change in political guard after the 2012 Assembly elections and the return of Manohar Parrikar as the chief minister.
The project dragged on for a couple of years before Parrikar ordered the resumption of the work, but not before the hospital’s bed strength was reduced from 800 to 500-bedded hospital.
After the government realized that the 500-bedded hospital can be set on the first two floors of the building, the former chief minister decided to house the proposed nursing college in the South district hospital.
“As far as we know, Manohar Parrikar was only in favour of a nursing college coming up at the South district hospital to make optimum use of the imposing building,” remarked an official.
Location for nursing college becomes a talking point among medical staff
MARGAO: Where will the government set up the proposed nursing college in Margao if the controversial private medical college becomes a reality at the South Goa district hospital building?
This question has become a talking point amongst the medical and para-medical staff attached to the South District Hospital after Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's speech budget on March 29.
In his budget speech, the Chief Minister proposed setting up a medical college and a nursing college in Margao.
Officials informed that the South Goa district hospital cannot accommodate both the private medical college and the proposed nursing college in the imposing building, adding that available space can cater to either one of the two colleges.
The official, however, did not rule out the possibility of the proposed nursing college being set up at the old Hospicio building in the event the government bulldozes its way with the private medical college at the district hospital.
A senior official of the Director of Health Services had recently pointed out that the government is toying up with the idea of setting up the proposed nursing college at the old Hospicio building.
