Daijiworld Media Network- Margao

Margao, May 9: In a major healthcare development for South Goa, the central government has given its nod to set up a new Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Medical College at the ESI Hospital in Margao — a move that promises to significantly reduce the dependency on Goa Medical College (GMC) at Bambolim.

The long-standing demand for a medical college in the southern part of the state has now been fulfilled, with Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant confirming that admissions to the new institution are likely to begin from the upcoming academic year 2025-26. “We are committed to ensuring that the college begins operations without delay. Our officers have already started coordinating with the Union government to fast-track the process,” Sawant said.

The proposed medical college will initially have 100 beds, which will be gradually scaled up to 250 beds. Importantly, 50% of the seats will be reserved for Goan students, providing a much-needed boost to local aspirants in the field of medicine.

CM Sawant also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Labour and Employment Mansukh Mandaviya for including the ESI Margao Hospital in the official list of proposed new medical colleges. “This is a landmark moment for South Goa. The inclusion of ESI Margao in the list is a significant step towards strengthening healthcare infrastructure and creating opportunities for medical education closer to home,” he said.

Highlighting the state’s readiness to support the project, Sawant added that the government is prepared to provide additional land to the ESI to upgrade its current facilities into a full-fledged medical college. He emphasized that the entire management of the college will be under the purview of the ESIC.

While earlier attempts to establish a private medical college in South Goa faced resistance from locals, this centrally supported government initiative is expected to gain wider acceptance and bring quality healthcare to the region’s doorstep.

Currently, Goa has only one government medical college – the GMC in Bambolim with a capacity of 750 beds. The upcoming Margao facility will ease the patient load on GMC and drastically reduce travel time for patients from South Goa.

With groundwork in motion and political will backing the project, South Goa is all set to witness a new era in healthcare and medical education