The Goa government has decided to introduce comprehensive medical screening services at Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs)
across the state. Informing the assembly on Tuesday, the Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said that the initiative is part of a shift towards preventive healthcare, with a specific focus on early detection of diseases. "We have given directions that all hospitals, PHCs and CHCs must start screening programmes. Screening will become a priority of the state government," Rane stated. He added that the services would cover cancer screening, diabetes detection, and identification of pre-diabetic conditions, enabling timely treatment for patients. Highlighting the need to upgrade existing infrastructure, the Minister announced a strategic partnership with HLL Lifecare Limited (HLL). He said the collaboration would involve a detailed "gap analysis" of health facilities to identify shortfalls in equipment and technology, particularly at the South Goa District Hospital. "The South Goa district hospital must be brought to a level just below a tertiary hospital. This gap analysis will help us secure necessary funds from the Government of India to provide the required infrastructure," Rane said. He noted that this model has been successfully implemented in states like Assam. Speaking about the issue of manpower, Rane admitted that recruiting doctors has been a challenging task. He informed that to tackle this, the government is increasing the number of senior resident posts and amending recruitment rules to attract professionals skilled in hospital administration. "We need to change recruitment rules so that we get people who can handle hospital administration while others deal with the academic side," he explained. Rane also outlined plans to declare the hospitals in Pernem and Curchorem as sub-district hospitals, given their robust infrastructure. He cited the success of the STEMI project, which he said has saved numerous lives, and reiterated the government's commitment to providing free medicines, including insulin, to patients. The Minister also emphasised on the issues regarding Women and Child Development department. According to the speech, the government is working on moving Anganwadi centres from rented premises to government buildings to create "smart Anganwadis" with better infrastructure. June 1 has been set up as the deadline for the final report on private forests.
