In its October 31, 2025 edition, Forbes India has devoted a powerful multi-page cover feature to Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Prabhakar Rane, officially christening him “The Medical Man” – a rare and prestigious recognition for the leader who, since taking charge of the health portfolio in 2017, has completely rewritten what a small state can achieve in public healthcare. Born into a prominent political family on 23rd March and first elected to the Goa Assembly in 2007 as one of the youngest legislators, Rane has served under Chief Ministers Manohar Parrikar and Pramod Sawant, handling multiple departments before finding his true calling in health. What started as a portfolio assignment has turned into a personal mission that now sees him working 18-hour days, personally monitoring projects deep into the night, and pushing revolutionary ideas that larger states are struggling to replicate. From a young BJP worker to the most influential policymaker Goa has seen in decades, Rane’s journey is now immortalised in Forbes India as the story of one man’s obsession with delivery over promises.
Building a Healthcare System the Entire Country Now Envies
The Forbes India profile walks readers through a series of groundbreaking initiatives that have collectively turned Goa into India’s undisputed healthcare leader. The expanded Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana now offers genuine universal cashless coverage, while Goa Medical College has become the first government hospital in the country to provide completely free IVF treatment, completing 73 cycles and bringing joy to hundreds of childless couples. The globally acclaimed STEMI Goa network has transmitted over 21,000 real-time ECGs and saved thousands of lives by ensuring heart attack patients receive clot-busting drugs within the golden hour. More than 1.5 lakh women have been screened for breast cancer under the Swasth Mahila Swasth Goa campaign using revolutionary portable devices, and the Corlim Primary Health Centre stands proud as India’s first 100 per cent digital public health facility – complete with electronic records, teleconsultations, and e-pharmacy services that the Union Health Ministry is now studying for national rollout.
From Emergency Response to Mental Health and Superbug Wars
Forbes India details how Rane scaled the 108 ambulance fleet from a modest 32 vehicles to a formidable 103 advanced life-support units, slashing response times and saving 1.38 lakh lives, while the newly established State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation has already completed nine complex transplants, making Goa self-reliant in this critical domain. The 24×7 TeleManas mental health helpline has quietly handled over 4,000 distress calls, and Project Parivartan is waging a systematic four-year war against antimicrobial resistance across 41 public facilities. Sixteen mega medical camps have brought specialist care to remote villages, catching silent heart attacks and critical illnesses on the spot, proving that healthcare under Rane is not confined to hospital walls but reaches every last citizen.
The Greener, Smarter Goa Beyond Hospital Corridor
The magazine also celebrates Rane’s vision that extends far beyond medicine – his passionate conservation of mangroves, creation of Miyawaki urban forests, protection of wildlife corridors, introduction of environmentally conscious high-rise building norms, and the ongoing transformation of the notorious Sonsodo dump into a green eco-park. These initiatives paint a complete picture of a leader who sees health, environment, and urban planning as interconnected pieces of the same puzzle.
A Work Ethic That Has Become Legend
Doctors, patients, and even political rivals quoted in the feature describe Rane as the rare minister who personally joins night duties during crises, pushes files at 3 AM, and follows up on every single project with an intensity that has become the stuff of legend in Goa. As Forbes India powerfully concludes: “In a country drowning in healthcare promises, Vishwajit Rane is pure, relentless delivery – and that is why he has rightfully earned the title The Medical Man.”
