The recent decision of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to travel to Pune for medical treatment, despite Goa Medical College (GMC) being equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, raises serious questions of propriety and public confidence. GMC has long catered to the country’s politicians, celebrities, and countless ordinary citizens. When common people are referred to district and GMC hospitals, it is only fitting that our ministers lead by example and avail themselves of treatment from the same institutions. The Chief Minister’s ailment, reportedly not life-threatening, could have been competently handled by GMC’s highly skilled surgeons. To seek treatment elsewhere for a routine procedure like angioplasty inadvertently demeans the very institution he often praises as Goa’s premier healthcare hub. Such actions risk demoralising the doctors and staff who tirelessly serve the people. Moreover, crores have been spent on developing an Ayurveda hospital in the state, and it is ironic that Sawant, himself an Ayurvedic practitioner, chose not to avail of the infrastructure he once championed. By choosing GMC, the Chief Minister would have sent a powerful message of confidence in Goa’s healthcare system. It is time our leaders practice what they preach.
