14 Oct 2021  |   05:25am IST

Letters to the editor (14 October 2021)

Letters to the editor (14 October 2021)

Preventive medicine is need of the hour

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed everyone to the vulnerability of contracting a life threatening disease. It is in light of this aspect that Preventive Medicine should be encouraged so as to be able to make men immune to diseases, for greater part of their lives. Doctors should now concentrate on prescribing not only nutritious diets but also food supplements and immunity boosters as also a strict regimen of exercise and physical exertion which will strengthen not only the immune system but also ensure that all the organs of the body will synchronise their functions in such a manner that diseases are prevented.

In this context master endocrinologists, cancer specialists, heart specialists, orthopaedists, eye specialists, ENT specialists, urologists, nephrologists, etc, are required to advise common men on how to make the body immune from diseases of all types. In tandem with prevention of organic disorders if psychologists also pool their resources, men and women can have robust physical and mental health that will lead to the world becoming a healthy place to live in, free of diseases.

It is beyond doubt that prevention is better than cure and if physicians advise on prevention, sturdy generations of people can inherit a healthier world. 

Elvidio Miranda, Panjim 


Justice for Siddhi Naik

Two months have passed since the tragic death of this young girl with the police absolutely clueless and groping in the dark on this case which most likely will be swept under the carpet with the passage of time. The parents of this girl have been running from pillar to post to get justice for their daughter which as of now looks like a remote possibility with the lacklustre style of investigations that are presently going on.

The police have solved much more complicated cases than this one with the most recent being the murder of a young Goan at Old Goa where the accused was picked up from distant Kolkata. Looks like there is someone with high political connections involved in Siddhi's case.

The Goa police will be showered with accolades by the general public if they manage to solve this case at the earliest before it fades away from public memory.

Lucas D’Souza, Verna


MLAs start working at the 11th hour

With elections just around the corner, we see frenzied public works being carried out all around. Some of the MLAs who were dormant throughout their term, seem suddenly reborn after five years. While some enthusiastics were working in their constituency, others carefully waited for their last birthday just before the election to start development.

Meanwhile this tactic looks so cheap, shame and embarrassment is the least of things on their mind when another four years of stockpiling their wealth is at stake. On the other hand, this is a best tactic for any MLA. Just start all the works just before the elections. People are held at ransom, that is, you vote for me to get the work completed.

Besides, if he loses then it is somebody else’s responsibility to get the work done. Either way he can take the credit for having started those projects not mattering in the least that those where stated at the far end of his term for election mileage. It is time of the year for the people to decide who is and what is best for them or keep lament afterwards for another 5 years.

Valent Mascarenhas, California/Calangute


Stop wastage of water

It is an irony that while in some places in Goa there is an acute shortage of water, at other places huge amounts of water goes waste as a result of inaction on the part of the authorities concerned. It is learnt that the students of the Women’s Hostel at Bambolim reportedly held a protest against the alleged water shortage and unhygienic water supply at the hostel for months. It is understood that there has allegedly been no water supply for the past one week.

The students have also lamented that the hostel, which houses one hundred students, has been dealing with dirty water for the past several months and that there has been no response to their complaints. According to the students this has not only affected their health but has come in the way of their academic related preparations. Water is a precious commodity and several areas across Goa struggle to get it. However, at Chimbel water is seen being wasted due to a leak in the valve of the main water pipe-line.

It is understood that this wastage of water has been going on for weeks and the issue was even highlighted on Social Media by the villagers. However, no action has been forthcoming from the authorities concerned. One can only imagine how much water has gone waste during these weeks. PWD needs to repair the leaking valve at the earliest so that the wastage of large quantities of water is stopped.

Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco


Floating solar power plants

Grid connected floating solar power plants are proposed to be set up on four dams namely Selaulim, Amthane, Anjunem and Chapoli on a design, build, finance and operate model with a concession period of 25 years. Building plants over the reservoirs will also help in conservation of water, up to 15% of which is lost due to evaporation besides lessening our dependence on fossil fuels.

Power generators on water bodies will also do away with expenditure incurred on land acquisition which itself becomes a contentious issue for most projects. The scope of the developer shall include construction, maintenance and possible evacuation of the power and its transmission up to the nearest available substation. 

Incentivisation by the Department of New and Renewable energy will also go a long way in adoption of grid connected solar power plants by individual house owners who would have the option of selling excess power generated back to the national electricity grid; a win win situation for both man and the environment. 

Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim 


Make NEET a level playing field

The Court struck down the Govt’s order of 41% reservation in PG-medicine-seats. Now, Tamil Nadu CM has written to 12 non-BJP ruled State CM’s and Goa’s to oppose the NEET entrance exam and restore ‘the primacy of States’ to education. Now this is sensible.

First off, all schools do not follow the CBSE syllabus: so how is it fair? As such, how can the country go on using the same? Surely there must be a level playing field. It is obvious that the NEET is conducted to: favour certain States who follow the CBSE Syllabus and to eliminate others so as to match the available seats. This is against the right to education. Every year 6000 +5000 Indians study medicine in Russia and China. They must first learn the local language then study medicine. Is this fair? How many different questions can you frame at NEET? Limited. So, they add Physics and trick questions to cut down the percentage. 

The NEET syllabus has a tough Physics paper, but despite this, our current lot of medicos were unable to provide even analysis of cases in the current pandemic. The Task Force relies on statistics from other States for decisions rather than on the virus characteristics. They know nothing about Risk Management/mitigation of risk or root cause analysis (RCA). Had they qualified for the MBBS based on their HSSC mark sheets they would not have performed any worse. 

In fact, the hankering for making embarrassing profits from patients and insurance companies, the deletion of the Chapter in the NCERT book all comes from frustration from answering NEET.

R Fernandes, Margao


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