THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: Taking an indirect swipe at Aam Aadmi Party’s COVID-19 campaign in Goa, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Friday said the State is doing everything it can to save Goans and does not need lessons from a party that has messed and botched up the COVID-19 situation in their State.
Rane, addressing the media after the weekly review meeting of the expert committee, said the State will distribute free pouches with medical kit to home isolation patients, which will consist of requisite medication and instruments. “Government will distribute free pouches which will contain hydroxychloroquine, oximeter, thermometer, N95 masks, three triple layered masks, gloves, sanitisers etc to every home isolation patient through the health centres,” he said.
He added that the government will do everything possible to save the lives of Goans.
Indirectly referring to AAP’s campaign on COVID, Rane said, “We are constantly learning and implementing and not like someone who had messed up everything till the Union Home Minister arranged beds and stadium to improve the situation.”
He said the government’s motive is saving lives. “We are not competing with any party. My concern is saving lives of people in villages, who have not much access to facilities,” Rane said replying to a query.
He also admitted that all COVID-19 hospitals are full, including the private hospitals. “The government will commission the South Goa District Hospital by tomorrow (Saturday),” he said.
About the shortfall of manpower, the Health Minister said Dental College nurses will be deployed in GMC.
On the ICMR study revealing that plasma does not help, he said, “We will continue plasma treatment and will purchase another apheresis machine. Plasma and Remdesivir combination has worked wonders. We will continue treatment as our doctors are comfortable with that, does not matter if someone says it is not working.”
Referring to spike in cases, Rane said that he expects the cases to rise above 1000 a day.
