Panaji: The state government is considering introducing a formal caretaker system at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) to assist patients during their hospital stay and reduce the financial burden on their families.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said on Wednesday that the government would work out a structured system under which caretakers would be deployed at GMC and issued identity cards.
At present, families of patients often hire private caretakers to stay with and assist them in the hospital. Rane said such services typically cost between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000, which could be difficult for some families to afford.
“We will put our system at GMC, so that people will not have to pay,” Rane told reporters on the sidelines of an event. He said there was a need to streamline the existing arrangement and ensure that patients, particularly those from financially weaker families, were not compelled to depend on paid private caretakers.
“We will bring such a system that people will not have to pay for the service,” Rane said.
The proposed system would provide an organised arrangement for patient care at GMC, with authorised caretakers identifiable through government-issued identity cards. Rane said the government would work on the structure and implementation of the service to ensure that families do not have to incur more expenses for basic help to patients during hospitalisation.
