NT NETWORK
PANAJI
The retirement age of the teaching faculty at the Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim, has been raised to 65 years, and all the doctors in the government hospitals of the state will now retire at the age of 62 years.
Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar made this announcement at a function held to launch the Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana, the health insurance scheme of the government. Parsekar said, “Doctors’ retirement age is being increased from 60 to 62 years and the retirement age for the teaching faculty of the GMC is being increased to 65 years. This will be implemented from June 1, this year, and whatever formalities need to be done will be completed tomorrow.”
Speaking during the launch of the DDSSY and to celebrate the Goa Statehood Day at the Dinanath Magueshkar auditorium at Kala Academy in Panaji, Parsekar said that Goa would be the first state to implement the decision announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to enhance the age of retirement of doctors to 65 years.
Stating that the government has converted PHCs and CHCs into hospitals, he said the government increased the intake for the MBBS course from 100 to 150, but the students are yet to pass out from the institute. “They are in their final year. Thereafter they will undergo internship,” he stated. He said that compared to the rest of the country, Goa does not face an acute shortage of doctors but grapples with scarcity in the medical teaching faculty. To control the scarcity of doctors in the state, the number of doctors has to increase. Therefore, the government has increased the intake capacity for MBBS course at the GMC from 100 to 150 and would further increase the number to 200. However, we will get these medicos only after eight years, he added.
The Chief Minister said the government would inaugurate the South Goa District Hospital in November, this year.
“In the last four years the work on the district hospital has been going on in full swing… we are trying to inaugurate the hospital by November, this year,” he said. Parsekar said the two upper floors of the South Goa District Hospital will house a nursing institute.
The institute will begin functioning from the academic year 2017-18 and will have an intake capacity of 100 students.