The GMC is in need of being given autonomy, at least in terms of administrative and financial autonomy
- Francis D’Souza, Health Minister
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SUPER SPECIALITY BLOCK ON CARDS
* Efforts are underway to have foundation stone laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a block at the hospital
* The block will have 11 super specialties including endocrinology, oncology and liver transplant
* The entire project is expected to cost Rs 450 crore, of which Rs 120 crore will be funded by the centre under the Pradhan Mantri Swastha Seva Yojana
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PANAJI: It's a shot in the arm for Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC). The State government is in the process of granting autonomy to the apex hospital of Goa as preliminary discussions are underway with the Health Secretary and Chief Secretary.
Health Minister Francis D’Souza disclosed the plans of granting autonomy to GMC while interacting with media persons on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana (DDSY) Kendra in Panaji.
The health minister said the hospital needed to be treated as an institution and not another government department. “The GMC is in need of being given autonomy, at least in terms of administrative and financial autonomy. It is more than just a hospital, it’s a research centre as well as for patient treatment. It cannot be treated as any other government department.”
The health minister added that there was also the need to bifurcate work at the hospital especially in terms of division of work in the administrative work and granting of finances. The minister also pointed to the long tedious procedure of hiring doctors at the hospital and how gaining autonomy would help making recruitment easier.
As part of the plan, doctor and surgeon hiring would also be made easier based on hospital requirements rather than going through long tedious processes. The current status of contract doctors and surgeons would also be changed to a permanent one.
D’Souza also said a separate budgetary allocation would be made to cater to the hospital’s requirement. This budget would be utilised by the hospital without coming to the government for approval.
The autonomy to GMC will be implemented at the time of inauguration of the 500 bedded super specialty block at GMC, he said.
“We are working on a new model for the hospital and as soon as the super specialty block is inaugurated, GMC too will have a new look in terms of the functioning,” said D’Souza. Other government run hospitals that work under the autonomous status include the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
