MAPUSA
Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane acknowledged there was a shortage of doctors in Goa while addressing the Goa Legislative Assembly on Thursday, stating the necessity to revise the hiring policy to attract doctors from other States.
Rane also emphasized the need to adjust the salary structure to accommodate these new hires.
"We don't get the required medical practitioners because there are fewer doctors in the State. We need to fill up the posts. We may have to employ doctors from out of the State. They are ready to come," Rane said, addressing the concerns raised by several MLAs about the lack of doctors and staff at various community health centres (CHCs) across Goa.
Rane highlighted the difficulty in finding anaesthetists within the State, which has hindered the establishment of new operation theatre (OT) facilities.
"In such circumstances, we will have to employ anaesthetists from beyond the State’s borders. If we are going to hire doctors from outside the State, then we will have to also change the salary structures of the doctors. Discussions are going on with the Chief Minister," he explained.
The Health Minister admitted that the increasing patient load at different health centres necessitates a rise in staff strength. He assured the House of a review of the staffing levels at various hospitals across the State.
Rane proposed a hub and spoke model to provide various medical facilities in different health centres from a centrally located centre and suggested partnerships with other hospitals to offer better and more advanced facilities.
Bicholim MLA Chandrakant Shetye raised the issue of staffing shortages at the Bicholim CHC, which serves 44,000 patients but has only six nurses. Shetye suggested employing doctors and staff on a contract basis to alleviate the shortage.
"People are losing trust in CHCs and therefore rush to district hospitals and the GMCH," he said, adding that the OT at the CHC has now been repurposed as a storage area.
Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao pointed out that the load on Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) has increased due to the failures of CHCs, and questioned whether the health department had conducted a study on the increase in patients and corresponding staff requirements.
Margao MLA Digamba Kamat urged the Health Minister to strengthen CHCs to reduce the burden on district hospitals and GMCH, noting the significant rise in patients from 4,500 to 6,500 per month.
The Health Minister's proposals and the MLAs' concerns underscore the urgent need for policy changes and resource allocation to address the healthcare challenges in Goa.
