Capping of rates at Private Hospitals cannot be considered a solution to the Covid Mismanagement by the CMOs. In fact this is another glaring example of further mismanagement because the number of Doctors available in Private Hospitals is very less and so are the other medical staff like nurses, ward boys etc. Their infrastructure is also limited in handling mass cases. With the capping of rates, more people who can afford will crowd into the Private Hospitals stretching their capacities. Government should put in place ambulances, infrastructure and manpower to manage the rush to the Private Hospitals. Only then will this system work seamlessly to complement the Government Hospitals.
While fully agreeing to the fact that Private sector should be involved, there should be a focus on equipping the Government Hospitals on par. Instead the CMOs is giving the wrong signals to the common man of Goa. All our Ministers/MLAs are seeking treatment in high end Private Hospitals which creates a doubt as to whether our Ministers/MLAs don’t have faith in Government hospitals.
It has also been pointed out that the capped rates in Goa are one of the highest in the country which the general population or even middle class cannot afford. Our Government Doctors have proved to be Angels in this pandemic but are running short of infrastructure & manpower and related facilities in Government Hospitals. There should not be double standards when it comes to medical treatment whether it’s a poor commoner or rich and powerful people.
The right step would be to equip our Government Hospitals on par and the Private Hospital’s will supplement the Government Hospitals by providing the same status of treatment & facilities to those who can afford. But our situation is just the opposite, the common man of Goa is struggling to get basic amenities in Government Hospitals and meet with suffering and death while the rich and powerful get preferential treatment in Private Hospitals.
This is a violation of the Basic Right of Equality to Life and Health and a hard blow to the people of Goa reeling under the deathly impact of Corona.
