Goa opens Chief Minister's medical aid fund cell in Panaji, on Maharashtra model
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant inaugurated the cell on October 13 to help poor patients with treatment costs, modelled on Maharashtra's scheme.
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A Chief Minister's Medical Assistance Fund cell, modelled on the scheme that has brought relief to poor and needy patients in Maharashtra, has now started in Goa as well. Goa Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant inaugurated the cell in Panaji on October 13.
Arogyadoot Mangesh Chivate is the original conceiver of the Chief Minister's Medical Assistance Fund scheme. He was specially invited to Goa for the event. With the cell's launch, economically weak patients in Goa who are battling serious illnesses now have a route to financial help for treatment.
Chivate first put forward the idea of starting a Chief Minister's Medical Assistance Fund cell before Devendra Fadnavis, then and now Maharashtra's Chief Minister, on March 17, 2015. After the scheme became popular in Maharashtra, Chivate wanted similar schemes to run in other states, and he has been working steadily towards this.
A few months ago, Chivate met Chief Minister Sawant directly and presented the idea of starting such a cell in Goa. Sawant responded positively to the proposal. The initiative was then approved in the Goa budget session. On October 13, the idea took concrete shape.
At the inauguration, a cheque for Rs 1 lakh was given to the Goa Chief Minister's Medical Assistance Fund cell on behalf of Arogyadoot Mangesh Chivate. The cheque was given in a spirit of social responsibility, so that needy and economically weak patients in Goa get help with treatment for serious illnesses.
Through the Chief Minister's Medical Assistance Fund, many needy patients in Maharashtra have already received financial help for treatment of serious illnesses. A separate medical assistance fund cell has now started in Goa along the lines of this successful approach. It is hoped that patients who go without treatment because of lack of money will get significant relief.
Chivate was specially invited to the ceremony. He is the original conceiver of the Chief Minister's Medical Assistance Fund and is also Officer on Special Duty to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. This idea of serving needy patients, which has taken root in Maharashtra, has now materialised in Goa too, and will bring new hope of treatment to many patients there.
