Story in numbers: BJP keeping finger on Goa's health infrastructure pulse

Recently, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President J P Nadda asserted that the BJP had done more to protect the health of Goa citizens than any other government in the past.

“The BJP government increased the number of primary health care centres (PHCs) from 19 to 55, thus ensuring proper health coverage across the state," he said.

Not only is this assertion borne out by facts, it also shows the relationship between the government’s investment in health infrastructure and the propensity this has to bring the government back to power.

In 2005, there were 19 PHCs in rural Goa. The figure remained unchanged till 2012, when the BJP was elected to power in Goa.

Currently, there are 55 functioning PHCs in the state's rural areas, and four in urban areas.

Statistics published by the National Health Mission show that the number of PHCs in rural Goa started increasing in 2013, when it increased 21. This number rose to 22 in 2016 and 24 in 2017, before it more than doubled to 55 in 2020.