The meeting of the District Mineral Fund underway at the South District Collectorate.
Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
In an interesting development, MLAs from the mining belt of South Goa have urged the district Collector, South, to explore the possibility of providing medical treatment to the people inhabiting the mining belt by private doctors and specialists.
Ex-Minister and Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral and Sanvordem MLA Ganesh Goankar raised this question at the meeting of the District Mineral Fund chaired by the South Goa district Collector, Asvin Chandru, IAS, in the district Collectorate on Wednesday.
The duo pointed out that since the Curchorem Health Centre will be upgraded and commissioned soon, the district mineral fund should make a provision to rope in private doctors to attend to the patients at the Curchorem health centre.
“It may take time for the government to equip the health centre with machines and manpower, including specialist doctors. But, that should not stop the District Mineral Fund from funding the private medical experts from attending to the patients from the mining belt. The ESI hospital has tied up with private hospitals to provide the best of treatment to the labour class. In the case of the people inhabiting the mining belt, they too can be provided with the services of doctors through the Mineral fund,” informed Cabral.
He added, “Since the Curchorem health centre will soon be commissioned, private doctors, including radiologists, cardiologists, etc., can be engaged by the District Mineral Fund to provide the patients from the mineral belt at the health centre.”
Calling for a holistic view of the health needs of the people inhabiting the mining belt, Cabral said the district mineral fund can use the Curchorem community health centre to perform operations by private doctors.
