TEAM HERALD
VALPOI: Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza on Saturday visited Pali-Sattari to pacify the alarmed residents who have been confronted by an unusual disease, which claimed its fourth life on the eve of the minister’s visit. As many as 29 other patients from Pali have so far
received treatment at GMC hospital with similar symptoms and two patients are still undergoing treatment. According to sources, Anant Ainkar (36) of Pali- Sattari and an employee of Valpoi CHC, was admitted at the CHC with a fever on March 25 and was referred to
the Asilo Hospital the next day for further treatment.
As his condition deteriorated, he was shifted to the
Goa Medical College Hospital at Bambolim, where he
breathed his last on April 3. Ainkar is survived by
his wife and 3 daughters.
On Saturday, D’Souza visited Pali and interacted with
residents, in a bid to allay fears about the
mysterious disease.
Insisting that the government must do more to tackle
the problem, residents complained that patients
admitted at the GMC hospital did not receive proper
care and proper facilities.
The residents, who were led by Thane Sarpanch Shreya
Gawas, demanded that the government make arrangements
in the village itself to diagnose and treat patients
with symptoms like diarrhoea, vomiting and high fever.
D’Souza patiently listened to the grievances of the
residents and assured to do needful, once blood
samples and other investigations into the disease are
completed.
The mysterious disease has, so far, claimed the lives
of Savitri Paryekar, Dhanu Sawant and Vittal Sawant,
all from the same village. All of them were shifted
from the Valpoi CHC to the GMC hospital, where they
breathed their last.
Such was the alarm raised in the village that a
meeting was convened with officials from various
departments at the Valpoi mamlatdar’s office recently,
in order to tackle the situation.
