The state health minister of Goa has mentioned that he is open to discussion about treatment costs for patients from Maharashtra undergoing treatment at the Goa Medical College & Hospital.

Goa government was open to a discussion with Maharashtra on allowing people from the neighbouring state to avail treatment at Goa Medical College and Hospital, said state health minister Vishwajit Rane. Goa has been charging patients from outside the state for treatment at the GMCH and recently Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that his government would give Rs 2 crore per annum for such treatments. Rane informed that the Maharashtra government had written a letter asking the Goa government to waive off this fee.

"I am open to a discussion with the Maharashtra government over the issue but with the rider that they should sit and discuss it with me. I am firm on my decision to charge them," said Rane. He said that the Maharashtra government could either empanel the GMCH under its own medical scheme or deposit Rs five crore per year as service charge for treatment. He said the decision to charge patients coming from outside Goa was taken to reduce the load on the state-run medical facility. This, he said, was because more than 50 per cent of patients arriving at the GMCH were from Maharashtra and Karnataka.