MARGAO
The Margao Urban Health Centre witnessed an uproar on Saturday noon after Goa Forward Chief Vijai Sardesai, along with his newly elected councillors from Fatorda, descended on the centre to question vaccination of frontline workers from the Verna Industrial estate at the cost of local residents.
He asserted that these frontline workers from the Verna-based pharmaceutical companies should be vaccinated in the industrial estate, leaving the Margao Urban Health Centre and other centres for vaccination of the local people.
The Goa Forward Chief interacted with the Margao health officer Dr Anju Kharangate demanding to know how the frontline workers from Verna are being given precedence for vaccination at the cost of the local citizens.
“We have nothing against the frontline workers, but the government should set up a special vaccination centre at the Verna Industrial Estate itself and leave the urban and primary health centres for the local people,” he said.
He refused to accept the stand that anyone registering on the portal can take a jab anywhere in the country, saying he has specific information that people from one part of Mumbai cannot take the jab in another area.
The Goa Forward Chief demanded that the government accord priority to the local population first before opening up vaccination for people from outside the state. “We are not against any employee of the pharmaceutical companies from being declared as frontline workers or given vaccination. Let the locals get the vaccination from the health centres and the frontline workers at the Industrial estate itself,” he said
Saying that the Goa Forward had offered its Goemkar Ghor for the vaccination at Fatorda, he told the health officer that the newly elected councillors were all willing to help the healthcare workers in the ongoing vaccination drive.
