SUNDAY, MAY 05, 2024
Outstanding Dr Edwin Gomes
Eminent doctors in Goa should be chastised, unlike Dr Edwin Gomes, the doctor-in-chief of Covid-19 medical salvage operations in the Goa Medical College and Hospital at Bambolim who has had a very long and successful 98-day stint treating Covid-19 patients with diligence and having been involved in recovery of scores of patients. No other doctor has distinguished himself so creditably as Dr Edwin Gomes.
To give a few health tips as a layman, I would like to advise people to do physical exertion like a long morning walk especially in a jogger's park where ample free oxygen is available to boost the capacity of the lungs as an immunity against Covid-19. Also, another common sense advise would be to consume immunity boosters like Complan, Ensure and Horlicks so as to push up your immunity as also to observe social distancing, wearing of face masks and use of sanitizers. Our doctors have to by experience to advise people on the issues of use of Hydroxy chloroquine and Remdesivir as also other medicines that may be useful in the containment of Covid-19 infected patients.
In Goa, the medical profession has not been able to give the people of Goa medically tested medicines that will be efficacious in combating Covid-19 .Doctors have to do their little bit in educating the people on the ways and means of not contracting Covid-19. It is also pertinent that considering the fact that Covid-19 has now infected over 2000 people in Goa and claimed the lives of 8 people so far that the contribution of the medical fraternity has to be substantial to decrease the steep rise in Covid-19 infections.
In fact, the spurt of Covid-19 cases in Goa recently can be attributed to the monsoons having arrived and the lowering of temperature and the increased humidity which keeps coronavirus airborne as well as spread of the coronavirus due of inability of the various municipalities to maintain general hygiene.
Let eminent doctors get into the act of not just sufficient writing in the newspapers but also doing something worthwhile for the Goan people to combat coronavirus.
Stephen Dias, Dona Paula
Proper consultative process needed
Before planning any major public project it is incumbent on the government to have a proper consultative process with the local people as this would ensure transparency and accountability in governance. But this arrogant self-serving Government continually ignores the fact that we are part of the world’s largest democracy and as such the wishes of the people are paramount and must never be ignored.
The police high-handedness that was witnessed in the village of Melauli in Satari is outrageous. Police cannot be acting as cowboys of their political bosses. The law does not permit this as the police are duty bound to uphold the rule of law at all times. Those villagers are opposed to the setting up of an IIT there as it would destroy the environment and lakhs of square meters of their verdant land. The arrest of the three locals who were going to address a press conference is very deplorable. From when is permission required to address the media. Has the BJP ever sought any permission for its press conferences?
Whether this IIT, Marina project at Nauxim or the doubling of the railway track at Cansaulim, when the local residents are overwhelmingly opposed the government must respect the sentiments and anxiety of the people.
On issues that concern the society, the government should bow to the wishes and aspirations of the people by taking sensible corrective decisions instead of forcing the public to agitate on the streets.
An already over plundered and saturated Goa does not need any more such controversial projects. It should be the thrust of the government to first ensure on a top priority that Goa’s basic infrastructure is put in place.
Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
Racism a product of prejudice
Racism will exist in this world even the whole is educated it is a product of prejudice, and every human being has prejudice views this everyone will agree. If someone denies having prejudice views, it highlights his lack of self-consciousness. Historically, racism against the blacks in US was created to exploit them.
Racism is a product of black exploitation, not its cause. The nature of exploitation might have changed in modern US, and it might be visibly perceptible to White Americans, yet colour like brown black skin prejudice exists in the minds of Whites. Still there is conscious and unconscious denial of racism among the whites therefore the efforts to remove racism completely is almost impossible.
Diomedes Pereira, Corlim
Another great blow to Bollywood
The sudden deaths this year of Irrfan Khan, Rishi Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput, Saroj Khan and now, Jagdeep Jaffrey are great blows to the Hindi film industry. All of them have left behind memorable bodies of work that will continue to set standards for Indian cinema.
Jagdeep was a veteran comedian-cum-actor who made his acting debut as a child artiste in films under various top banners like AVM Productions, B.R. Chopra and even K.A. Abbas. Later when he acted in ‘Sholay’, he immortalised his ‘Soorma Bhopali’ character. He also played memorable roles in 'Purana Mandir' and in 'Andaz Apna Apna' as Salman Khan's father.
May his soul rest in peace.
Jubel D'Cruz, Mumbai
Problems of online learning
A Whatsapp message says it nicely "Education is swinging between uploads and downloads, Net providers managing overloads, Telecoms working on payloads, parents expenses truckloads, students confused with workloads and all we can do is smile and reload!". From technical issues to psychological and adaptation issues for parents, teachers and students those who are poor and non savvy, to lack of resources the problems caused by Covid 19 makes things very uncomfortable for many.
Think of those uneducated poor parents slogging to give their children an education they did not get, the only mobile they can afford being a basic small hand held instrument not being able to send their children for tuitions or instruct them at home, the long absence from school and unavailability of online platform is devastating. The government had many years back spent a lot of money on computer education but unfortunately completely neglected the public at large including the senior citizens who would have by now been better placed to cope with working online.
We are going to muddle through in most difficult times as usual causing much suffering and pain especially to the neglected poor and marginalized whom the government boasts so much about looking after.
John Eric Gomes, Porvorim
Two bridges in contrast
The two bridges in contrast are one an architectural marvel in Venice, Italy and the other is our own bridge at Comba, Margao, which mimics the bridge at Venice during monsoon as captured in the picture. The bridge at Comba is an underpass meant to ferry motorists, when the manned railway crossing in close vicinity remains busy with passenger traffic and transportation of Adani coal by freight trains.
It may be recalled that many precious lives of students of Damodar college and pedestrians are lost at this level crossing. To avoid fatal accidents the railways in coordination with the local authorities should consider construction of a bridge or a flyover at this accident prone site and do away with the inaccessible and poorly maintained underpass.
Everette Assis Telles, Margao
