Margao: Health Minister Viswajit Rane on Monday said that the central government has sanctioned Rs 50 crore to the Goa government for expanding specialised medical services at the Hospicio South Goa District Hospital.
Rane made the announcement in Margao during a foundation stone-laying ceremony for renovation of the Margao municipal council heritage building.
The central fund will be used to construct an emergency building within the district hospital premises, where a critical care unit will be set up soon, he said. Rane added that a cath lab and a
specialised neurology unit will be commissioned at the South Goa District Hospital by the end of December this year.
Rane also announced the expansion of the Health Department’s State Care initiative, which aims to deliver medical facilities directly to the residences of senior citizens in the state.
Speaking to reporters following a meeting with doctors and an assessment at the Hospicio Hospital, Rane said that he and Public Works Minister Digambar Kamat visited ten homes across Aquem, Khareband and adjacent areas on Monday.
During the visits, the ministers interacted with residents to hear their grievances, promising redressal through home-based intervention. Under the State Care initiative, the government aims to bring institutional healthcare directly to senior citizens, Rane said.
Explaining the operational framework, he said that mobile health teams will visit senior citizens at their residences, functioning similarly to the existing 108 Emergency Ambulance service. The scope of care will range from specialised physiotherapy sessions to treatments for various acute and chronic ailments, he said. Dr Ira Almeida has been designated as Director of the State Care programme, the minister said.
Rane said that the initiative currently provides home-care services to 1,500 beneficiaries across the state. He added that the Health Department will adopt 50 village panchayats and four municipalities of Valpoi, Mapusa, Margao and Mormugao under the facility by December 2026.
The file regarding the expansion has been forwarded to the Chief Minister’s Office for requisite approvals, the minister said. The plan is to identify vulnerable individuals in every constituency and provide them with specialised care, he said.
