PANJIM: The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) on Thursday demanded immediately removal of Health Minister Vishwajit Rane over a Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report which has termed a purchase made by the government in 2018 as ‘gross violation’.
GPCC President Amit Patkar said, “All is not well in Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim (GMC) and Health Department.
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“The CAG report has exposed that it is the ‘Wellness’ of Health Minister Vishwajit Rane and not the patients which is costing State treasury Rs 162 crore. Will the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant sack Health Minister and order an Investigation?”
“The purchases made by GMC from 2018 from M/s Wellness Forever Medicare to the tune of Rs 162 crore are now termed by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) as gross violations of government guidelines. This is nothing but corruption,” he said.
Patkar claimed that approval from the Finance Department was also not taken while doing the said purchases.
He pointed out that former Congress president Girish Chodankar had also exposed in February 2020, the scam of Rs 40 crore in purchase of medicines without tender from the same company.
“Vishwajit Rane must be sacked immediately and a high-level probe needs to be done in all the purchases made by the GMC and Health Department; especially during Covid-19 pandemic,” Patkar demanded.
Patkar recalled that the Congress earlier had exposed Health Minister’s Ivermectin tablets purchase scam which he wanted to use as prophylaxis treatment on Covid-19 patients. The government was compelled to cancel the contract.
