Team Herald
PANJIM: Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Sunday alleged that Congress MLA Francis Silveira has reportedly threatened Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) Dean Dr Shivanand Bandekar with dire consequences for introducing free hearse van service.
Government last month introduced free hearse van service at GMC, thereby providing much needed relief to poor people from the private hearse van services, which were charging exorbitant fees for transporting bodies from hospital back home.
Dean has made an official complaint to Health Minister about the threat by Silveira. Rane, also took to social media to request Congress MLA not to protect the private hearse van mafia.
“We have taken a decision to vacate all the private hearse van services from the premise of GMC. We have taken the decision,” the Health Minister said.
“I am shocked when the Dean of GMC told me that he was threatened by Congress MLA Francis Silveira warning him against vacating the ambulance mafia from GMC,” Rane said in a video message released here assuring the people that free service will continue in GMC.
“We have introduced free hearse van service as the relatives of the patients who expired had to pay Rs 15,000 to transport the body. The service is on lines with Karnataka government. we thought that since the relatives of the patient are in grief and pain, we can do this least to help them to get back bodies respectfully from GMC to their homes,” he said.
“I would like to tell Silveira that any amount of threatening will not help. We have discussed the issue with the Chief Minister and he has opined that this kind of service should be started. If ambulances want to park, they should take proper permission from GMC authorities,” Rane said.
When contacted, Silveria said that he is happy that free hearse van service has been provided by the government at GMC as it will help poor people.
“There are 20 ambulances which are operating near GMC since 1993. All belong to my constituency except one, which is from Sanquelim. Their demand is that they are ready to provide free hearse van service to the people and State government can pay them as per the fixed tariff, they will not charge relatives to carry the bodies,” he explained. These youth will be jobless if the service is withdrawn, he added.
The Congress MLA said that he met chief Minister Pramod Sawant and has appraised him with the demand.
Meanwhile, NGO Hope Foundation, which first raised issue about extortion by ambulance mafia at GMC, has condemned Congress MLA while welcoming move of Health Minister Vishwajit Rane to introduce free hearse van service.
Foundation’s director Andrea Pereira has said that the mammoth fee charged by ambulance mafia, which illegally park their vehicles at Goa Medical College and Hospital was cause of concern for poor relatives of patients who expire at this hospital.
