Govt may outsource GMC ICU

PANAJI: The state government is considering outsourcing the running of the intensive care unit (ICU) of Goa Medical College (GMC) and Hospital as it is facing an acute shortage of intraventionists.
Health minister Vishwajit Rane said, “We are just thinking about it at the moment. We want to ensure that the ICU facilities at GMC improve. At times, even private hospitals refer their ICU patients to GMC.”
Rane said patients will not be charged any fees even if the running of the ICU facility is outsourced.
Private hospitals would also permitted to use the upgraded ICU facility at GMC provided they pay for the services, the health minister told TOI.
A senior GMC doctor said, even private hospitals in the state find it tough to have an anesthesiologist on board as few are willing to work in Goa. “Anesthesiologists are in demand and most prefer to work outside the state for attractive salaries,” he said.
“So I don’t see how Rane’s idea of outsourcing ICU will fructify,” he said.
Rane, since taking over the health portfolio, has been quite vocal about his plan to upgrade facilities at the state’s premier hospital, as also improve the functioning of other government-run medical facilities in the state, and not just hospitals.
The health minister told TOI that he has already spoken to some senior doctors associated with noted private hospitals in the state, to work for government hospitals. Declining to reveal names of the doctors he in talks with, Rane said no names have been finalised yet.
I’m doing all this to give the best medical facility to the people of Goa, he said.
Some erring staff has already been suspended and a few senior health officials have been issued memos. Rane has already warned that he would not tolerate any kind of lethargy in the functionong of directorate of health services (DHS) and public health department.