MARGAO
With the deadline for renewal of the health cards set to end by this month-end, DDSY card holders are making a beeline at the Margao Urban Health Centre and other centres to.
The government had initially set August 31 as the deadline for the renewal of DDSY health cards, but it was extended further since the exercise could not cover all the card holders within the time frame. When The Goan team visited the Margao Urban Health Centre on Wednesday evening to find out the status of the renewal exercise, anxious card holders stood in a serpentine queue that spilled over to the open space outside from the first floor of the building, indicating that the rush for the renewal of the health cards is far from over.
A couple of card holders informed that they here called by the agency for the renewal of their forms and have been standing outside for quite some time, waiting for their turn to submit the documents and complete the formalities.
In fact, the ongoing exercise was underway inside the agency’s office housed on the first floor of the Urban Health Centre even after the office hours, with an official saying that they had ensured that no card holder, who had stood in the queue, was sent home. “We have cleared the last applicant at around 6 pm to ensure that everyone who had stood in the queue was attended to,” an official added.
When The Goan sought to know whether the government has set any new deadline for the completion of the renewal of health cards, an official replied saying that they have been told to cap the exercise by September-end.
To another query, the official pointed out that the office invites the card holders to come for the renewal of their cards with an appointment to avoid rush in the building.
It was pointed out that card holders from Cuncolim can visit the office opened at the Maddicotto centre for renewal of their cards instead of coming to the Margao office.
