Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, on Friday, said the state is working on amending a law to ensure promotion of medical tourism in the state. Sawant also said that there is a need  to reduce the number of quacks functioning in the state. Without getting into specifics while addressing the gathering on the occasion of the iBeach Film Festival, a video-based opthalmic conference, Sawant said that the particular work is already underway.
“People know Goa for its sun, sand and sea but Goa is also known for the beautiful temples, churches and inland tourism also. We now want to promote Goa as a medical tourism state as well. We are working on making amendment to the law also.” The aim of the law, he said that would be to crack down on quacks that cheat tourists.
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“Most of the time, foreigners come to the state for medical treatment including dental and ophthalmic treatment. We are working on an amendment to the law wherein authentic treatment will be given to tourists. Today, there are many quacks in different parts of the state that attend to these tourists, mainly in dentistry, and very often tourists are cheated. We are taking steps towards the promotion of the medical tourism,” he said. The Chief Minister also urged the doctors and ophthalmologists, hosting the conference, to lend a helping hand in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s New India campaign to make New India by the year 2020. He also highlighted that “Goa is the only state that provides free procedures for its citizens under DDSSY.”