PANAJI
Legislators across party lines showered bouquets on the premier health institution of the State -- Goa Medical College and Hospital at Bambolim -- during the discussion on the demands for grants of the Health ministry in the Goa legislative assembly on Thursday.
However, the same legislators who praised the overall functioning of the GMC, including the enhanced level of treatment made available after the commissioning of the super-speciality block, were at pains to expose the shortcomings and poor services in both the district hospitals -- Mapusa and Margao.
Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao also warned that the over-emphasis and focus of the Health Minister Vishwajit Rane and his team on GMC is leading to the utter neglect of the primary health infrastructure including the Primary, Urban and Community Health Centres across the State.
Alemao led the charge pointing out shortfalls in the functioning of the SGDH, pointing out that it does not have a cath-lab and NRI machine and the waiting period in the casualty there is extremely high.
He said, the number of consultants in the casualty ward have to be increased since the number of patients being brought in has increased manifold concurrent with the rise of road accidents.
Several other legislators including Congress' Quepem MLA, Altone D'Costa. AAP's Benaulim and Velim MLAs -- Venzy Viegas and Cruz Silva -- and even the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's Curchorem MLA, Nilesh Cabral, joined Alemao in raising the shortfalls in services at the South Goa District Hospital.
As for the district Hospital in North Goa in Mapusa, Deputy Speaker Joshua D'Souza pointed out deficiencies and urged the Health Minister to pay attention to the needs of the facility which caters to entire North Goa.
