Can the government throwlight on what it plans to do with the top two floors of the soon to befully-commissioned South Goa district hospital?
The Goa State InfrastructureDevelopment Agency (GSIDC) which is giving final touches ahead of D-day isshowing hesitancy in handing over the top two floors of the hospital buildingto the Directorate of Health Services. And that is baffling.
Amid this Covid struggle, utilizing thetop two floors of the hospital could have considerably eased off the painpeople are currently facing. The top two floors can accommodate close to 350beds, a capacity that can almost match up with both, the Margao and Pondafacility, put together. When there is prime hospital space at the government'sdisposal, why is the government not contemplating putting it to use? Theseriousness of the government in tackling Covid stands exposed here becauseeven Chief Minister Pramod Sawant who heads the GSIDC has not intervened.
Goa is in the midst of a grim Covidsituation with 5-9 people succumbing to the virus daily, leaving aside thehigh rate of positive cases that are detected. The need of the hour is toprovide better healthcare facilities to citizens. VIPs, including North GoaShripad Naik and now Health Director Dr Jose D'Sa who have tested positive,have availed treatment at a private hospital. It is the common man whose lifecontinues to be a struggle of uncertainties. And the government must pooltogether all available resources in an attempt to mitigate people's problems.
GSIDC officials have come on record tostate that the top two floors of the hospital are ready for occupation, leavingit to the government to decide on utilization. But we can't have a deadlockhere. Picture this: The GSIDC says the structure is ready but is not handingover. The CM heads the state and the GSIDC but doesn't intervene. And theHealth Minister keeps an eerie silence.
Lest we forget, last year Health MinisterVishwajit Rane had stated that Goa would soon move towards setting up Goa's firstprivate medical college at the newly constructed district hospital. However,priorities have changed over the past six months, and the state is on its kneesfighting this battle. The need of the hour is to solely focus on the crisis athand, rather than pursuing ambitious projects that are not an urgent priority.Public health is paramount, and everything else, including a private medicalcollege, can wait. The assumption of not using the available space for Covidtreatment due to the proximity of the district hospital doesn't hold reasonwhen reservations are forced upon private hospitals.
The chief minister who has vocallypropagated 'bivpachi garaz na' must step in and build that confidence withpeople-friendly measures. Vested interests cannot be allowed to gofree-wheeling, compromising the lives of people. Moreover, plans have to beplaced before citizens. We can't have ministers engineering their personalagendas circumventing public health and welfare. It's time the government comesclean on its plans.
