VASCO
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Saturday said the State government is working on a plan to establish a Primary Health Centre (PHC) in each of the 40 Assembly constituencies, aiming to strengthen healthcare delivery at the grass roots.
Addressing the media at a mega medical health camp in Vasco, Rane also highlighted the urgent need to expand the State’s ambulance services.
“We have proposed adding around 100 ambulances to our fleet, including 10-12 cardiac ambulances. In addition, we are enhancing coastal emergency response with upgraded motorcycle ambulances manned by two personnel to ensure faster response times,” said Rane.
“We are moving towards ensuring that every constituency is equipped with a PHC. These may be bedded or non-bedded based on local requirements. For instance, Vasco will be provided with a non-bedded PHC to enhance accessibility.”
Rane said he is also working on increasing the availability of doctors across the health centres through a new recruitment model, which will be tabled in the upcoming cabinet meeting.
The minister noted that the STEMI (ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction) programme, aimed at treating heart attacks quickly, has received national recognition from Niti Ayog.
“Our ambulances are now equipped to stabilise patients during transit. We’ve also introduced thrombolysis services for stroke patients, and are consistently focusing on expanding our preventive medicine network,” he stated.
Explaining the inspiration behind the medical camp initiative across the State, Rane said the focus of these camps is on preventive healthcare and early diagnosis.
Rane also spoke about the advanced medical procedures now available at Goa Medical College.
“We have specialists performing complex surgeries including skull base procedures, endoscopy, gastroenterology, colonoscopy, and organ transplants. We’ve initiated kidney transplant services and are working towards setting up dialysis units across the State,” he informed.
The camp, organised in the presence of Vasco MLA Krishna Salkar, Mormugao Municipal Council Chairperson Girish Borker, Goa Medical College (GMC) Dean Dr Shivanand Bamdekar, municipal councillors, and other health officials, saw a turnout of nearly 1,300 patients, the highest recorded so far for such medical camps in the State.
On the occasion, Vasco MLA Krishna Salkar also launched a free ambulance service for the local population.
“These health camps bring specialised medical services to the doorsteps of citizens, reducing the need to travel to GMC for basic and preventive care. This initiative is timely and immensely beneficial for the community,” said Salkar.
The MLA said experts from 13 medical disciplines, including dentistry, gynaecology, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, paediatrics, and surgery, attended to people at the medical camp in Vasco.
“We’re also conducting cancer screenings, particularly for women, which is crucial,” he added.
