HEADING
MARGAO
Health care workers attached to the Covid hospitals -- South Goa district hospital and ESI hospital received a pat on their back on Saturday, even as the government announced that it is on the job to add infrastructure and put logistics in place, and rope in additional manpower, including doctors and experts to deal with Covid situation in the future.
Saying that the journey on the Covid front is not over yet, with the third wave predicted in the coming months, the Health Minister profusely praised and appreciated the work put in by the health care workers, including doctors, nurses, paramedics, multi-tasking worker, besides the frontline workers in battling the Covid pandemic.
He also appealed to the people to go for Covid vaccination before the third wave hits the state in the coming months. Saying that the state had issues regarding accessibility to Covid doses in the past, the Health Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now stepped in to provide the vaccines. The quota of doses for Goa should all come by June end or early July, he said.
“Today, we salute you for your hard work and dedication. For 18-19 months, we have all worked hard to face the Covid. We are grateful to all of you. This small gesture of felicitation is a mark of appreciation”, the Health Minister said at the felicitation programme at the South Goa district hospital attended by the Health Director, South Goa district hospital medical Superintendent, Nodal officer, ESI Hospital medical superintendent and others.
Saying the government has sufficient stock of medicine, the Health Minister said the government will put in place additional infrastructure to meet the situation, by recruiting additional doctors and enrolling specialists.
On the third wave, he said the government is being advised by experts on how to go about handling the pandemic, adding that the government is sensitive to the health of the people. “We are here to save the people. The district hospital was commissioned overnight. It was a big challenge for us to start the hospital as there was nothing in this hospital, including doctors and the infrastructure, he said, adding that the government has put the infrastructure in place.
He said the government headed by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant received full support and cooperation from the medical fraternity, bureaucracy, the police and right down the Multi-tasking staff in the battle against Covid.
Saying that Goa is the only state where Covid treatment is provided free of cost, the Health Minister said it is easy to criticize, but hastened to add that those who criticize should also offer solutions. “There are people who have been critical of the government on handling the Covid situation. They have been criticizing without realizing that they are hampering the spirit and morale of the health care workers”, he added.
The Health Director said the state is bracing up for the third wave as per the advice of the expert panel. “We are in a comfortable position today. We had all worked hard in the battle against Covid. There was initial hesitancy on the part of some workers to join DHS, but they later took up as a challenge”, he said.
The Health Director said the state is now facing a big journey to ensure that remaining five lakh population is covered with the first dose.
