the goan I network
PANAJI
As a part of their nationwide activity, the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard saluted Corona warriors of the state by showering flower petals on Goa Medical College, Cottage Hospital Chicalim, and ESI Hospital, Margao.
An Indian Navy chopper showered rose petals over health workers, especially the frontline staff at the Goa Medical College, the state’s biggest hospital and a quarantine facility for Covid-19 patients, as part of a nationwide drive by the country’s armed forces to show solidarity with the Covid-19 medical staff.
“This gesture of Indian Navy has boosted the morale of the Goan medical workers and also the belongingness feeling of medical persons towards the Indian Navy has increased,” said the head of the department for preventive and social medicine GMC Dr Jagdish Kakodkar.
Teams of naval personnel presented sweets to the staff at these hospitals and to police personnel at Vasco Police Station.
Around 1500 naval personnel formed a human chain at Dabolim runway to display solidarity to Corona warriors.
Speaking on the occasion Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said that the act by the Indian Navy of showering rose petals over the hospital workers, including Covid-19 frontline workers, would boost their morale to combat the pandemic.
Rane said, “This is such an emotional and encouraging step that has never been experienced before. This felicitation of our medical professionals and frontline workers in the war against Covid-19 gives us great encouragement,” Rane told reporters after the flypast.
Commenting on Goa being declared as a Covid-free ‘green zone’, Rane said: “Now that Goa has been declared a green zone, our challenge really starts now”.
The Coast Guard ships showed appreciation by illumination at 25 locations covering the entire coastline of the country including the far-flung island territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands. In addition, the Coast Guard Helicopters showered petals on hospitals treating Corona patients at five locations. The ships displayed the banners “India Salutes Corona Warriors” and sounded the ship’s siren and fired flares at 1900 hrs at anchorage.
At Goa three Coast Guard ships anchored near the port and remained illuminated from sunset.
