PANAJI
After successfully introducing an online appointment system at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC), the State government is now considering taking OPD services further online by enabling patients to access consultations and medical reports digitally, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced on Monday.
Sawant said the move could significantly reduce the number of patients who need to physically visit GMC, with patients able to access their reports online and visit the hospital only when a prescription, examination or follow-up consultation is required.
“Online appointments are done, but if online OPD is also done, it will make a big difference. People can check reports and come only for prescriptions or check-ups,” he said. The chief minister was speaking at the inauguration of three new lecture halls at GMC, built at a cost of Rs 40 crore, where he also outlined a Rs 500 crore major infrastructure upgrade plan for the State’s apex medical institution.
Sawant said the government was fast-tracking the proposed construction of an overbridge connecting the main GMC campus with the Super Speciality Block, with a consultant already appointed for the project. The proposed connectivity is aimed at bringing both facilities together as one integrated campus and making it easier for patients to access the Super Speciality Block. “We will develop the entire campus as one single campus,” Sawant said, adding that the government was working to transform GMC into a “five-star campus” with road resurfacing, beautification, underground cabling, improved lighting, garden maintenance and parking facilities, with works are targeted for completion by March.
Speaking in the presence of Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, Sawant informed that around Rs 500 crore worth of projects are planned or underway at GMC, including Rs 200 crore for the college block, Rs 106 crore for the GARD hostel, Rs 90 crore for the boys’ hostel and Rs 100 crore for the Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour. Sawant said GMC had earned the trust of people in Goa as well as neighbouring parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka, and stressed that continued investment was necessary to maintain that confidence.
He also urged GMC heads of departments to regularly identify requirements for equipment and infrastructure and submit proposals to the government. He said that the government is also strengthening district and sub-district hospitals, including the South Goa District Hospital and hospitals at Chicalim and Ponda, by providing doctors and equipment to reduce the unnecessary load on GMC.
