Goa to set up Expert Panel to Elevate Standards at GMCH

Panaji: To enhance the healthcare services on par with international standards, the Goa government has decided to constitute an advisory board of experts from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Union Government, and specialists from across the country. This board will monitor the functioning of the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).

Located at Bambolim near Panaji, the GMCH is Goa’s largest government-run hospital with more than 1,000 beds, and caters to patients from adjoining regions of Maharashtra and Karnataka. In response to increasing patient footfall at GMCH, the government aims to upgrade the hospital's services and overall functionality, striving to bring it up to the standards of international healthcare systems.

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Talking to PTI, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said the board will be headed by him with representatives from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), World Health Organisation (WHO) India, the Union government and top doctors across the country. The board members will guide to ensure that the services at the apex hospital are on par with international standards, he said. He said that the board will have the state government’s Additional Secretary (Health) as its member secretary.

This comes after the recent controversy at Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), where the Health Minister publicly berated a senior doctor and ordered his suspension, alleging that the doctor had refused to treat a senior citizen and had behaved inappropriately.

As reported by Medical Dialogues, the incident sparked outrage within the medical community, with many demanding an apology from the Minister for the public humiliation of the doctor. However, Minister Rane stood by his actions, refusing to apologise and asserting that he acted in defence of a helpless patient and would continue to raise his voice against any form of patient discrimination.

Following the incident, the government has decided to uplift the quality of services at GMCH by forming an advisory board of experts who will provide guidance and recommendations to improve the hospital's functioning.

Rane said that an advisory board for the GMCH existed in the past. Speaking to The Hindu, he said, "The advisory board for the GMCH existed in the past when I was the Health Minister, but when the next Minister came in, he dismantled it. Back then, we also had medical experts from AIIMS, the WHO, and a couple of doctors from Mumbai. This advisory board is absolutely crucial, with independent experts onboard, along with the other government agencies. The board will also decide the standard operating procedures for specialised treatments in the hospital."

“We want to increase the efficiency of the hospital and provide good care to the patients with the ultimate objective of helping the poor and needy people. The advisory board will further strengthen the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of providing international standard health care in all the states," Rane added.

The specialised doctors who will be part of the advisory board include a team of around 12 to 13 experts from across the country, including cities such as Mumbai, Manipal, Delhi, Bhopal, and Arunachal Pradesh. However, the final list of board members has not yet been confirmed and is still in the process of being finalised.

"So far, we have Dr. R. P. Srivastava, past president, the Association of Surgeons of India; Dr. Ajai Singh from AIIMS Bhopal; and Dr. Sagar Galwankar, emergency medicine specialist associated with AIIMS. From Mumbai, we will have Dr. Ashok Johari, a renowned orthopaedic surgeon; Padmashri Dr. Amit Maydeo, Chairman of the Institute of Gastrosciences, Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital; and Dr. Sunil Bandekar from the Breach Candy Hospital. Once we have the team, we will divide them into two groups and have a quarterly in-person meeting and a monthly virtual meeting,” Mr. Rane told the Daily.

According to him, qualified doctors would be part of the specialised medical care system, while others would be sent for training.

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