Did Goa really need so many hospitals in such a small area?Valpoi MLA Vishwajeet Rane may have relinquished the Health Minister’s thronebut his hospitals built with the back up of ‘feasibility studies’ is beingquestioned.
Hospitals built with public money amounting to the tuneof Rs 288.67 crore was spent onhospitals which were constructed in the State where it was not required.
Six hospitals which were proposed by the former Congress-ledgovernment within a radius of 25- 35 km have turned into white elephants.
The hospitals proposed were in Ponda, Usgao, Sanquelim,Valpoi, Bicholim and a district hospital in Margao. The total capacity of thesix hospitals is 854 beds.
Health Minister Laxmikant Pareskar said: “It’s wastage ofpublic money. Setting up 2-3 hospitals in the same taluka is mismanagement andmisuse of state exchequer’s money. If the same hospitals were spread across thestate then things would have been different”.
The government has appointed Dr P K Dave, former director ofthe All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, as consultant to study andsubmit a preliminary report on how best to optimize all the governmenthospitals buildings in the state, Parsekar informed.
The Infectious Diseases Hospital in Ponda which wasdemolished and reconstructed at the cost of Rs 38.63 crores will be completedby end of this month with total bed capacity of 220. Rs 6.01 crore was investedfor a 54 bedded hospital at Usgao, which was taken up on October 31, 2009 andwill be completed by end of this month.
Was any feasibility study conducted before these hospitalswere constructed? A consulting engineer at Goa State Infrastructure DevelopmentCorporation informed that before a hospital project is taken up, a consultantis appointed who conducts a detail study of every aspect of the project andsubmits the report. Only then a tender is floated.
In a radius of just 15 kms three hospitals are built with atotal capacity of 180 beds in Bicholim and Valpoi taluka. The three hospitalsat Sanquelim, Bicholim and Valpoi cost Rs 40 crores.
“We plan to start some paramedical courses which are notavailable in the State so that we can be self-sufficient. We borrow technicianslike X-ray technicians and speech therapy ophthalmic assistants. Some of thesebuildings can be used as institutions,” the health minister said.
