VISHWAJIT RANE TO IMPROVE THE INFRASTRUCTURES OF HEALTH CARE IN THE STATE

PANJIM: The Health Minister, Mr Vishwajit Rane, on Tuesday, told the state legislative assembly that his thrust would now be to improve the infrastructural and other facilities in the health care institutions in the state, particularly the TB and chest diseases hospital at Tambdi Mati and Goa Dental College.

Responding to the issues raised by the members of the House during discussion on Goa Medical College, Health, Food and Drug Administration, Craftsmen Training, Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour, Goa Dental College and Agriculture held by him, Mr Rane said that the modalities for throwing open the North Goa district hospital at Mapusa would be worked out with the leader of opposition and others, on Wednesday.

He said that there was a need to put a system in place to deal with issues like the North Goa District Hospital and that his aim was to provide better health facilities, like heart care and intensive care unit, hitherto not available.

The Health Minister called upon the members of the House to guide him in putting the system in place, even as he said that he wanted to do something different.  He also said that the tendering process was transparent.

Stating that a few doctors in the government hospitals had failed to properly diagnose the gravity of the illnesses of the patients visiting them, he also said that his aim also was to provide security of life to the patients turning up at the government run hospitals in the state.

He cited the example of a diabetes patient from his constituency who was told by the doctors that his leg had to be amputated but that he got him treated through a doctor in Mumbai without getting his leg amputated.

Defending large amounts being spent on security, cleaning, sweeping and swabbing in GMC, Mr Rane said that the security personnel had helped in curbing theft cases and the cleaning personnel had been keeping the hospital in much better hygienic condition than ever before.

He, however, admitted that the old block needed improvement. On the issue of lack of ventilators, he said that purchase of ventilators was not an issue but getting the trained doctors to man them was.  He said that the government did not get enough anaethetists to man the ICU unit.  The Health Minister said that some doctors had been employed by the government off late.  He also said that health officials had drawn a plan for the use of vehicle with mammography unit to scan breast cancer cases.  He further said that he had a proposal to withdraw the Clinical Establishment bill and amend an earlier bill to regulate the functioning of clinics and hospitals in the state.

Mr Rane also denied the allegation that all the 156 people recruited to man posts in North Goa district hospitals were from Valpoi, adding that only 58 of them were from Sattari.

He also told the House that in future recruitments, people from the nearby areas would be considered.  Earlier, the leader of the opposition, Mr Manohar Parrikar, raised the issue of delay in throwing open the North Goa district hospital for public, even as he pointed out the pathetic condition of the TB hospital.

Others who participated in the discussion were Mr Dayanand Mandrekar, Mr Pandurang Madkaikar, Mr Francisco D’Souza, Mr Francisco Xavier Pacheco, Mr Mahadev Naik, Mr Pandurang Dhavlikar, Mr Ramesh Tawadkar, Mr Chandrakant Kavlekar, Mr Laxmikant Parsekar, Mr Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, Mr Vijay Pai Khot, Mr Francisco Silveira, Mr Anant Shet, Ms Victoria Fernandes, Mr Rajesh Patnekar, Mr Pratap Gawas and Mr Vasudev Gaonkar.