Panaji: A delegation led by Aam Aadmi Party convener Rahul Mhambre, and ledarrs Valmiki Naik and Cecille Rodrigues submitted a memorandum to the District Collector (North) on Tuesday afternoon. Mhanbre informed that they wanted to apprise Mr. Ajit Roy, the nodal officer for covid management in the district, of the various pressing issues being faced by the covid patients and their relatives at GMC’s new Super-Specialty block.
Valmiki Naik recalled that State Convenor Rahul Mhambre had personally visited the Super-Specialty block last week and interacted with the relatives of covid patients. Naik pointed out that this is something that even the Health Minister of the state himself has not done, since the covid wards started operating. Naik said none of the ministers or the officials have checked on the hurriedly-opened block and tried to understand the serious issues faced by patients and relatives, even after the cyclone hit and even after the issues have been highlighted numerous time through media and social media. Naik recalled that Health minister and Chief Minister only did photo-ops at the launch of the new block, and added that Mhambre is doing the ground work that the ministers should be doing instead of just operating through Twitter and press conferences.
AAP leader Cecille Rodrigues, who lost her father to covid at the same super-specialty block, expressed shocked that despite taking an appointment with the Collector’s office, they were not allowed to meet him in person. Rodrigues stated that after informing Roy of their arrival, they were made to wait for almost 30 minutes, and eventually told that Roy would not meet them even though he was in his office. Rodrigues expressed regret that, despite losing her father just the previous day, she had decided to come out and raise the issues with the Collector, as she did not want other relatives and patients to suffer the same way she did.
Naik informed that the memorandum was finally inwarded at the Collector’s office and also sent to Chief Minister, chief secretary, and secretary health secretary.
