The betrayal by the government on the promised Healthcare facilities at the Old Ribandar Hospital will be an issue at the ensuing Assembly elections. It directly affects at least the three constituencies of Panaji, Santa Cruz and Cumbarjua. The CCP and the Panchayats of the other two constituencies have all passed unanimous resolutions demanding that full fledged Health facilities be restored at the Old Ribandar Hospital.
On 8th October last year local MLA Babush Monserrate solemnly promised us that the Health Center would start as a 30 bedded with a 24X7 Casualty cum Trauma unit equipped with all the required facilities while it would be expanded in stages to be a full fledged Hospital. That same week Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had also assured us accordingly.
The Old Ribandar Hospital which is Asia’s first Medical school has a very glorious history. It was an excellent hospital and many of us were born there. This great heritage structure was designed to house state of the art medical facilities which people from across Goa benefited.
It is deplorable that Union Ayush Minister Shripad Naik with oblique motives wants to now needlessly set up an Ayush Center there.
The Government would be well advised not to pursue needless projects while focusing on improving Health Care facilities across the State which is an issue that needs to be addressed on a priority. If medical facilities are restored at the Old Ribandar Hospital it would be a remarkable achievement for this otherwise fumbling and faltering government.
The late Martin Luther King had rightly said “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane”.
