It’s very rarely in Goa someone dares to take the system head on as the system is considered very very powerful but one man Dr Ranganathan Venkatesh has been fighting a long and lonely battle with one part of the system called the Goa’s Public Health Department since last more than fifteen years with exuberance and feels that the truth will prevail ultimately.
As he awaits for a decision for his various allegations from the Supreme Court, he has fired fresh salvo on the Health Minister Vishwajit Rane by releasing a video, which has gone far and wide, wherein he has alleged that the latest scam from the department is the stealing of money from Prime Minister Covid Care Fund of 55 crores allotted to Goa, which needs CBI investigation. This is just the tip of the iceberg and the entire department is caught in a quicksand of scams, and he says this is how, in a chat with Goemkarponn.
Excerpts:
Goemkarponn: Doctor very good morning to you, your 4.11 minute video which you have uploaded on the social media recently has stirred an hornet’s nest openly levelling allegations against the present health minister of series of corruption running into crores and crores of rupees. What is your latest outbursts against Vishwajit Rane all about?
Dr. Ranganathan Venkatesh: See I have been saying it since 2005 that the Goa Health Department is embroiled in multiple scams in everything and every item the department purchases. The latest is the scam over the purchases of items from Prime Minister Covid Care Fund (PPCCF).
Goemkarponn: Doctor, could you explain in more details please.
Dr Venkatesh: See the Central Government had sanctioned 55 crores under PPCCF for upgrading the health infrastructure and to purchase machinery, equipment’s amongst others things that are required to treat Covid-19 patients. These items are purchased at much much more than the actual price.
Goemkarponn: Dr how you say that there is a scam in those purchases?
Dr Venkatesh: I have required documents to prove that the Health Ministry has purchased these items at a sky rocket price, for example a bottle of sanitizer costing 30 rupees in the open market has been purchased for 300 rupees from Wellness Pharma, the same company which runs pharmacy at Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC). The total units purchased are one lakh, it’s anybody’s belief where the extra amount which comes to 2.70 crores has gone.
Goemkarponn: What about the ventilator purchase scam you referred in the video?
Dr Venkatesh: Yes I am coming to that, see the department of which Vishwajit Rane is the minister purchased two hundred ventilators at a huge price of 8 lakh 50 thousand, no ventilator in the world is costing more than 4 lakh 50 thousand I.e the Drake warlock from Swiss, Even the central government purchased the ventilators for 2 lakh rupees a unit. Do a simple math and the ventilator scam is 13 crores. What I am say is the Tip of the Iceberg but if CBI inquiry start the pandora’s box will be open and the skeletons will fall from the cupboard, just wait for the SC monitored inquiry.
Goemkarponn: What is that…
Dr Venkatesh: Wait a bit, after the 200 numbers of ventilators arrived the health ministry distributed many of these ventilators to private hospitals all over Goa which speaks volumes of his intentions to make money out of the Central Grant’s when all this malpractices of stealing money was brought to the notice of the Supreme Court through an affidavit.
Goemkarponn: In the video you have also said that a few persons apparently sent by the health minister came to you and told you to vacate Canacona dialysis unit immediately. You mean to say that the minister has an axe to grind with you as you are the only person who has been exposing the health department of its irregularities since 2005-6?
Dr Venkatesh: See I am an upright and honest person, I started Dialysis Centre in Canacona in December 2002 in Margao Hospicio Hospital a year later. As per my agreement with the Goa Government I am getting space, electricity, water free from the government while I pay for the equipment’s consumables, medicine and technical staff for which I get a nominal payment of 1 thousand 1 hundred from the government after deduction of the Professional Tax and I don’t charge additionally for the injection. The patients undergoing dialysis at private hospitals have to pay 3 thousand five hundred and 2 thousand extra for the injection, ultimately the amount comes to 5 thousand 5 hundred per session of dialysis.
Goemkarponn: Dr the way you say the government pays you 1 thousand 1 hundred and you provide the dialysis for free to the patients, so the patient’s as well as the department and Vishwajit Rane should be happy with you?
Dr Venkatesh: The problem starts from here, I do this service since last close to 20 years at no profit no loss basis and as such I can’t give bribe to anyone and as said earlier I am honest with whatever I do. As the minister doesn’t get any kickback from me, he is after me and wants me to be thrown out and give the services to a Mumbai based person.
Goemkarponn: Can you tell us how your dialysis centre at Hospicio hospicio was closed?
Dr Venkatesh: it’s a long story and volumes can be written on the harrowing time I had as the department is harassing me at the instance of the health minister. See I was harassed by disconnecting the power supply frequently, and so many things, at last my clinic was set on fire causing me a loss of over 1 crore rupees, you tell me now, from where I can arrange that much money?
Goemkarponn: Wasn’t there a court order against you?
Dr Venkatesh: No order is passed which is against me, I have filed a PIL in Supreme Court and attached so many affidavits subsequently in support of my allegations. I have lost my nine year old daughter in 2014 fighting against this system, I was on my way for a hearing on my PIL, half way through I got a call from my wife that our daughter is no more, I came back, there was no time to cry, I approached the authorities for an autopsy to be done by a team of doctors as I had strong reasons to believe that my daughter was murdered. After one and half year the doctor conclusively submitted a report that it is a culpable homicide and the police registered a FIR. My heart has become a stone, no tears roll down from my eyes as the tears also have dried up long back, but my fight will continue as I keep in wait for the Supreme Court judgement sooner or later. I believe in God and knows that the truth will prevail ultimately however someone even for that matter as powerful as Vishwajit may try to suppress it. I could only sum up saying if Vishwajit Rane has any moral ethics he should put his papers down and resign and ask for an impartial enquiry. As along as he is in power he will destroy the proof. trample upon the truth and eradicate anything and any one coming on his way who is a thorn in the flash and stops him from amassing ill-gotten wealth.
