File photo NUSI Wockhardt hospital at Panzorconne-Cuncolim.
MARGAO
From a humble dream of providing basic medical facilities to rural communities to hosting a super-speciality hospital in collaboration with leading healthcare providers, Cuncolim is once again on Goa’s healthcare map, with the State government proposing to set up a medical college in the town.
The proposed medical college marks a significant milestone in a journey that began in the 1980s, when a group of doctors from Cuncolim and elsewhere came together to form a society with the vision of making affordable medical services accessible to people in rural areas.
With the medical college slated to commence operations in the academic year 2027-28, the Goa government has already initiated the legal process to take possession of the buildings and infrastructure at Panzorconne-Cuncolim built by the National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) on land owned by the Sociedade Agricola dos Gauncares de Cuncolim e Veroda.
As part of the process, the State government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NUSI on July 30, 2026, for the transfer of possession of the buildings and infrastructure developed by the seafarers’ union.
The government has also initiated efforts to engage with the Sociedade Agricola dos Gauncares de Cuncolim e Veroda to address any issues concerning the land. The Chief Minister’s Office has reportedly been in touch with Sociedade president Shabha Desai to facilitate a resolution, given that the land on which NUSI established the hospital infrastructure belongs to the body representing Cuncolim’s Gaunkars.
NUSI general secretary Milind Kandalgaonkar told The Goan that the union had already signed the MoU with the Goa Labour Commissioner, paving the way for the transfer of the buildings and land to the government for the proposed medical college.
Recalling the origins of the healthcare project, Cuncolim-based Dr Jorson Fernandes said a group of doctors had initially come together to establish a society aimed at providing affordable medical services to people in the rural hinterland. “Somehow, the plan could not take off due to land issues after the society started construction work on the compound wall and other infrastructure,” he recalled.
The project subsequently gathered momentum after NUSI stepped in and tied up with Apollo Hospitals to develop the healthcare facility.
Around 2010, NUSI partnered with Wockhardt Hospitals to establish a 180-bedded super-speciality hospital at Panzorconne. However, the facility shut down in 2015, leaving the imposing hospital complex lying idle for years.
The closure had triggered repeated demands for the resumption of hospital services, with seafarers’ associations, including the Goan Seamen Association of India, staging demonstrations to draw attention to the unused infrastructure and the need to restore healthcare services at the site.
Cuncolkars seek job, healthcare guarantees
MARGAO: “Once bitten, twice shy”, goes the old saying. While the proposed medical college, along with its healthcare facilities, is being welcomed as a positive development, Cuncolkars have urged the government to safeguard the interests of the local community, particularly in terms of employment opportunities for local youth and access to medical services.
Having had a bitter experience with the National Institute of Technology (NIT) campus at Cuncolim, where promises of employment for local youth allegedly remained confined to paper, residents are urging the government to ensure that their interests are protected in the proposed medical college. The project is expected to come up on the infrastructure laid by NUSI on land leased out by the Sociedade Agricola dos Gauncares de Cuncolim e Veroda.
Dr Jorson Fernandes welcomed the proposed medical college, saying it would bring healthcare services closer to the local population. “At present, people have to travel around 15 km to reach Hospicio South Goa District Hospital in Margao for medical facilities. A medical college with healthcare facilities in the neighbourhood would be a welcome development,” he said.
However, Dr Fernandes stressed that the government must safeguard the interests of Cuncolkars and the seafaring community, particularly with regard to employment and access to healthcare.
“We had a bitter experience with the NIT project. All sorts of promises and assurances were given, but now citizens are threatening to take to the streets to demand jobs for local youth. Since the land on which the proposed medical college will come up belongs to the Gauncars of Cuncolim, and the infrastructure is being developed by NUSI, locals should be given preference in employment. Medical facilities for seafarers and their families should also be ensured,” he added.
File photo of the NUSI hospital facility at Panzorconne.
MARGAO: General Secretary of National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) Milind Kandalgaonkar has said NSUI will negotiate with
