SURAJ NANDREKAR
BAMBOLIM: While the State government and the Health department has been urging the people to follow COVID19 norms, however, they are the ones who are breaking all the rules.
Yes, you heard it right. The Health Minister Vishwajit Rane in order to clear his image of all the scams, has been on a felicitation spree of all doctors, nurses and frontline workers.
However, while doing so he has forgotten that the COVID19 is still active and has not been eradicated. Moreover, the Delta and Delta plus variant is just few kilometers away from Goa in Maharashtra.
The Health Minister Vishwajit Rane and the Goa Medical College Dean Dr Shivanand Bandekar, DHS Director have forgotten to maintain social distancing while organising the felicitation functions.
At one such function held on Saturday at the Goa Medical College over 1000 health workers participated and the pictures themselves explain the situation.
There were thousands of people rushing to enter the auditorium next to the morgue for felicitation right in the presence of the Health Minister Vishwajit Rane and GMC Dean Dr Shivanand Bandekar.
What is shocking is most of the nurses and doctors present for the felicitation were from COVID19 wards itself.
However, there seems nothing much the doctors and nurses could do as there is a unofficial diktat from Dean and the HM that whoever does not attend will face action.
This means the frontline workers are being felicitated by placing gun on their head.
“We do not want such felicitation, what is the meaning of such functions when we ourselves cannot maintain social distancing. We are telling people to follow norms and see what happened at GMC,” a doctor, who did not want to be named said.
Another nurse said that instead of the felicitation and showering flower petals on health workers the government may do well to release our dues.
“We were promised 20 p.c additional incentives for COVID19 work but the statement by Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant was just a publicity gimmick. It is more than a year but there has been no news of the remuneration,” said the nurse.
Another frontline worker said the function organised at the GMC on Saturday was nothing less then an open invitation to COVID19 variants to come and hit us.
“It is ridiculous and shocking to know that such functions are organised by the Health Minister himself. What message are we sending to the people. Does the HM really wants COVID19 to go or is he thriving under such situation. We all know what has happened in last one year. The politicians do not want situation to improve,” the health worker says.
Another doctor speaking to Goemakrponn said that the felicitation functions are nothing but a scam.
“You will know in some days that there is a scam in bouquets, shawls and snacks purchases for these functions. We know the Joint Purchase Committee has been scrapped so these people have found another way to loot us,” said the doctor.
