GMC’s Goa connect

If all goes by plan, non-Goans will have to shell out money from December 1 this year to avail of treatment at Goa Medical College (GMC) and Hospital, Bambolim and the two district hospitals - Hospicio, Margao and Asilo, Mapusa. A green signal has been given by the Health Ministry to constitute a committee which will look into the rates to be levied on non-Goans visiting the hospital. The nominal fee which is going to be charged is primarily aimed at reducing the burden on GMC with outstation patients visiting the hospital. However, this move appears insignificant keeping in mind the larger picture at GMC vis-a-vis government's objective to give better attention and care to Goans visiting the hospital.
Since the launch of the government's mediclaim scheme Deen Dayal Swashtya Surasksha Yojna (DDSSY) in 2016, the government has been contemplating charging fees for outstation patients with a thought that locals will get prompt attention if the outstation rush is cut down. This may be one of the ways, but if the government's intentions are aimed at helping the locals, then other options need to be explored too.
On the same lines, the government should also work out mechanisms to facilitate ease of treatment to locals. While Goans use their DDSY card to avail of treatment at hospitals, it remains to be seen where those Goans who are not enrolled under the mediclaim scheme will fit.
The large flow of patients, both from Goa and outside is reason enough to expand the existing infrastructure at GMC. This can be seen as a huge opportunity when Goa's premier hospital is known also as a college and research wing where many of our students are studying various branches of medicine. Expansion of the infrastructure would also mean creation of additional jobs for the hundreds of students who pass out every year.
To offload the pressure on GMC, the hospital network, including the district hospitals and major primary health centres need to be strengthened and upgraded. There is a constant flow of patients to GMC from other hospitals due to lack of facilities or specialised doctors. Even now, several patients from Hospicio and Asilo-Mapusa are being referred to GMC.
Lastly, there need to be better systems in place. An air of uncertainty grips patients who walk into the over-crowded Out Patient Department of GMC where people wait in serpentine queues. There are some who have to patiently wait from morning only to be attended late in the afternoon. Moreover, amid the chaos, the common man appears lost with forms to be filled. There is an urgent need of systems and help desks for those who can't read and write.