Ever since our Goa Medical College’s Ribandar Hospital in 1988 moved to Bambolim there has been a longstanding demand of the local residents that a fully-fledged health care facility be restored at Ribandar to cater to the health needs of the locals.
The setting up of that long overdue full-fledged state of the art well equipped medical facility at the now vacant premises of the Old Goa Medical College Ribandar hospital has to happen so that it is accessible and available around the clock for those requiring medical assistance. In August 2017 the then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had publicly assured the residents of Ribandar that he would ensure that within three months the Medical care services and facilities would be restored at the old Goa Medical College Hospital at Ribandar. To everybody’s utter shock, we are now told three years late, that what has been approved for Ribandar is just a day dispensary. This is absolutely unacceptable as Ribandar urgently needs a 24 hour well equipped health centre which should be at least a 10-bedded medical facility with a X-ray, Sonography, CT scan, MRI and other facilities. Besides catering to the health emergencies of the very densely populated Ribandar, this medical centre at Ribandar would also benefit the residents of neighboring Old Goa, Divar, Chorao, Chimbel and Merces. This cosmetic facility by way of a day dispensary which is now approved is a cheap gesture to pacify the residents of Ribandar and it will benefit no one as it would only be a waste of public funds. The current pandemic has cruelly exposed in a timely way the depressing state of our current health and medical facilities which are woefully inadequate. The need to treat our politically elite over the last couple of years out of state has also confirmed the desperate need for more state of the art and readily accessible facilities in Ribandar and elsewhere. Even at this late stage, the Government must take its number one responsibility seriously and invest in the health of the people. Making promises they have no intention of keeping maybe a politician’s trademark but to do it at the cost of the people is a dereliction of duty and is not acceptable. Manohar Parrikar ran out of time to fix a broken promise. One wonders what excuse this Government has for not making good Parrikar’s broken promise and legacy! A promise is not a promise after it is broken, it then becomes a lie. And the only thing broken are the people who believed it. The resolute and determined people of Ribandar will never be broken and will fight all the way to see that the promised state of the art medical center at the old Ribandar Hospital becomes a reality. Aires Rodrigues Advocate High Court C/G-2, Shopping Complex Ribandar Retreat, Ribandar – Goa – 403006 Mobile No: 9822684372 Office Tel No: (0832) 2444012 Email: [email protected] Or [email protected] You can also reach me on Facebook.com/ AiresRodrigues Twitter@rodrigues_aires www.airesrodrigues.com
