Panaji (Goa) Indian Medical Association’s Goa branch has welcomed decision by State government to withdraw free treatment facility to non-goans in different hospitals.

State Health Minister Vishwajit Rane yesterday had announced that from this December onwards, the non-Goans who arrive to take treatment in government run hospitals will have to pay.

“We strongly support him and urge him to start charging the patients from outside the State as early as possible,” IMA Goa  President Medha Salkar has said in a statement issued here.

She claimed that the outstation patients cause lot of burden on government infrastructure in the health sector. “All the neighbouring states have their own health schemes and we urge State health minister to have a tie up with Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh government so that their schemes can be extended to government hospitals in Goa,” she said.

“This will help poor patients getting right treatment as well as Government of Goa will get financial support from the other states for the facilities provided to them,” Salkar added.

She said that till the neighbouring States don’t extend their schemes to Goa for the benefit of their patients, the State should continue charging them as per the rates prescribed in Deen Dayal Swastha Seva Yojana, a Goa government initiative.