Margao: With the South Goa district hospital coming under the High Court scanner, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Wednesday promised to put the Intensive Care Unit and other facilities at the district hospital on the tracks to make the hospital fully functional.
Saying he would file a detailed affidavit in the High Court at the next date of hearing of the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Goa Forward Chief Vijai Sardesai seeking two-three months’ time to put the ICU and other facilities in place, the Health Minister said Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has promised to sanction the necessary staff, including experts to run the facilities at the district hospital.
Pradhan Mantra Jan Aushadhi Kendra launched at hospital
Speaking to the media after launching the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendra at the South Goa district hospital on Wednesday, Rane said, “My colleague MLA Vijai Sardesai has knocked the doors of the High Court for justice. I am saying this has to be done. I will file an affidavit giving a time frame when the facilities will be made available in the district hospital,” he said.
He added, “We have to create a number of contractual posts. The file will go to the Cabinet for approval. All these posts will be filled up. We need doctors and experts to run the hospital.”
Conceding that the government had promised to set up a Cath lab at the hospital, Rane said the facility will soon become a reality.
“We have set up the target to install a Cath Lab at the hospital and to recruit neuro physicians and orthopedic surgeons to attend to casualties and accidents. We need these three main things at the district hospital and the government is committed to making these facilities available,” he asserted.
Saying it is not easy to get the doctors, the Health Minister said it is easy to get the medical officials but difficult to get the super specialist.
“The government has decided to sit down and work out the salary structure for these specialists,” he said.
Health Minister assures facilities will be set up at the hospital
He added: “We are doing our best to put up the facilities. As the State’s Health Minister, it is my responsibility to create the facilities. I cannot push the blame on someone else. If Sardesai has raised a point. I am ultimately accountable. If not, it would mean I have failed in my duties. But, I will not fail. The district hospital will be back on the tract after a maximum of 2-3 months. We have to move fast before the 2024 Lok Sabha election,” he added.
Earlier, in his address at the function, the Fatorda MLA pointed out that he had to knock on the doors of the High Court with the PIL since the hospital has not been made fully functional.
“I only hope that better sense prevails, and the government does justice for the people of South Goa,” he added.
