Upset that doctors from health centres not visiting its shelters
Inmates of Street Providence standing outside the building of the Directorate of Health Services on Monday.
OLD GOA
The NGO ‘Street Providence’ got around 80 of its inmates at the Directorate of Health Services (DHS) on Monday, as part of a protest as doctors at health centers have not been visiting its shelters.
The inmates were kept outside the DHS building for over an hour as the NGO’s Chairman Donald Fernandes demanded that the director come and meet them.
“There is an order from the DHS itself that doctors from the primary health centres should visit the shelters of Street Providence for a checkup. However, it’s been two years now that the order is yet to be implemented due to which we have brought around 80 inmates today at the DHS in protest,” Fernandes said.
“The Director should come and see for herself who Street Providence is and how many inmates we are taking care of.”
“When I met the Director, she said that she cannot implement the order as it was passed by her predecessor. This is absurd,” Fernandes said and also informed that the Director is stating that she does not know their NGO.
However, as the Director was not present, a delegation of the NGO then met the deputy director of health services who asked them to submit a fresh proposal.
“So, we are going to submit a fresh proposal to the DHS and wait for a week’s time to see whether the order is being implemented,” Fernandes stated while adding that if nothing happens then he would bring all the 200 inmates, from North as well as South Goa, and keep them outside the DHS.
“We will submit fresh proposal with the DHS tomorrow itself and wait for a week’s time to see if the order is implemented. Otherwise we will be forced to bring all the 200 inmates and keep them outside the DHS in protest,” he said.
A large number of police personnel were present to maintain law and order.
