MARGAO
When the government decided to fully commission the 500-bedded South Goa District Hospital in 2025 following public outcry over an acute bed shortage, hospital doctors, nurses and paramedical staff extended full support to the administration to implement the decision in both letter and spirit.
At the time, the hospital administration was assured that the government would promptly address manpower requirements and offset staff shortages arising from the expanded bed strength. However, months later, the administration is still awaiting the government to honour its commitment by deploying additional doctors, nurses and paramedical staff to meet the growing demands.
An increase in bed capacity necessitated the deployment of at least 50 additional nursing staff. In reality, the hospital received only around 30 nurses, and that too after a delay, leaving the existing workforce to function with a shortfall of nearly 20 nurses.
The situation is equally concerning in terms of medical officers. The Hospicio hospital is in urgent need of around 20 additional medical officers to adequately cater to the rising patient load. While the government has been posting newly qualified doctors from the Goa Medical College (GMC), insiders point out that the deployment of at least 20 more medical officers is essential to meet even the hospital’s basic operational requirements.
