The Indian Racing Festival will reportedly be held at the proposed Goa Street Circuit at Manohar International Airport Mopa in Pernem on February 14 and 15. This event will obviously boost sports tourism and serve as a stepping stone for Goa to emerge as a global sporting destination. However, residents of Tuem, in Pernem taluka, continue to demand the start of a long-promised hospital project, reportedly costing around Rs 100 crore, and its linkage to the Goa Medical College (GMC). Has the government got its priorities wrong? For the people of Tuem and surrounding areas in North Goa, access to quality healthcare is not a luxury but a necessity. The absence of a fully functional local hospital means longer travel times, overburdened facilities elsewhere, and delayed treatment, sometimes with life-threatening consequences. Linking such a hospital to GMC would not only strengthen medical infrastructure in the region but also decentralize healthcare, easing pressure on Goa’s already stretched medical institutions. Citizens should not be asked to wait for essential services while watching crores of public funds being spent on a street circuit.
