Feedback-driven healthcare: Goa govt to take up 'sentiment analysis' of patients

The Goa government will undertake sentiment analysis of patients treated at state-run hospitals, seeking feedback on their experiences so the inputs can be used to improve facilities and services, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane has said. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday evening, Rane said the state has already commissioned an agency to conduct sentiment analysis of patients visiting government medical facilities, including GMCH.

The Goa government will undertake ''sentiment analysis'' of patients treated at state-run hospitals, seeking feedback on their experiences so the inputs can be used to improve facilities and services, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane has said. The government currently has its apex medical facility, Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) near Panaji, two district hospitals in Margao and Mapusa towns, and a sub-district hospital in Ponda. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday evening, Rane said the state has already commissioned an agency to conduct ''sentiment analysis'' of patients visiting government medical facilities, including GMCH. Under this project, experts will gather inputs from patients about their experiences so that their feedback can be used to improve facilities and processes in these hospitals, he said. ''I am not a doctor myself, but my sentiments are with the people of Goa where healthcare is concerned,'' the minister said. To bring discipline to state-run hospitals, the government will issue a proper gazetted notification listing central government guidelines on the ''conduct of nurses'', he further said. ''While implementing the notification, I will take the Nursing Association into confidence. We will discuss the guidelines with them before they are implemented,'' the health minister said. He said processes in state-run hospitals will be improved so that no patient has to wait for hours outside the casualty ward. The health department will also introduce a system under which certified, trained caretakers will be available to assist patients whose relatives are unable to attend due to other commitments, Rane said. A team of experts is already conducting a gap analysis of manpower at GMCH. ''The gap analysis will also be extended to other facilities like district hospitals, sub-district hospitals and others,'' he informed. The minister further said that while the government has already introduced a Health Management Information System at GMCH, it is now moving ahead with the concept of a paperless hospital, which will be implemented soon.