Team Herald
MARGAO: Alleging that COVID hospital has turned into a cowshed with the Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant talking about a five-star facility, Goa Forward Party president Vijai Sardesai on Wednesday claimed that the gang of four including Margao-based doctor, health secretary, chief secretary and Chief Minister has messed up COVID response in the State.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
“There was a time when we had asked bureaucracy to take over,” he said and claimed that rackets and scams in the COVID-19 pandemic works will be exposed.
“Rackets are being operated. There are many scams which will be exposed. There is a quarantine-gate. If you don’t take everyone into confidence without politicising the COVID response, it will clearly be seen where your sincerity is,” he charged.
“The staff members from CM’s office are wearing masks with “bhivpachi garaz na” printed on them. Don’t mock COVID deaths. I am only trying to tell BJP that our positivity rate is 10 percent. ICMR has said that it should be less than 5 per cent. This means there should be more testing. Divert funds from other departments to the Health Department,” Vijai suggested.
He called upon the government to clear the backlog of testing, which has reached over 5000 pending tests. Sardesai said, “They should first clear the backlog of testing. I am asking the government stop politicising the COVID response. I urge the government to take all the political parties on board. If you don’t, then your sincerity is in question”.
Vijai demanded that experts’ team be given charge of the situation instead of bureaucrats. “There are so many medical experts who can drive the COVID response. Government wants to blame the people”, he charged.
On the one-day assembly session, he said, “The Government has done a farce of holding one-day assembly session which passed the budget, bills and demands without any discussion. Opposition MLAs were called and asked to move out of the House.”
“Our demand was to have a virtual assembly session. Nowhere opposition had agreed to the bills, budget and demands to be passed during the session. BJP spokesmen are ignorant and are trying to experiment” he claimed.
