Panaji: The resident doctors serving two of the major government run COVID-19 treatment facilities on Saturday threatened to strike their work protesting against the order asking them to share the accommodation, where they have been put up.
GARD President Dr Pratik Sawant, in a letter written to Dean of Goa Medical College and Hospital, has said that they would “not refrain from pulling out the servicesif single occupancy rooms aren’t given to residents working in South Goa District Hospital (SDGH) and ESI.”
SDGH and ESI are two of the major state run facilities to treat COVID-19 patients located at Margao city in South Goa.
Sawant said that “there is an order from administrative authorities to shift the stay of residents posted for Covid duties in ESI hospital from a private hospital to Margao Residency (facility of the state government) where rooms will be provided on a sharing basis.”
He said that the order is likely to be effective from Monday onwards.
“Same arrangement of room on sharing basis might be started in Colva Residency (South Goa) for those residents posted in new SGDH for Covid duty, effective from Sunday (tomorrow),” Sawant said.
The GARD has said that they are disheartened by such an order. “Everyone is working day in and out and expect basic decent stay and food. Twin sharing will increase the risk of infection and reinfection and will fail the purpose of stay,” he said.
“As a family, it is our collective responsibility to ensure the safety of each one of us and hence we shall not refrain from puling out our services, if single occupancy room aren’t given to residents working in SGDH/ESI,” he said.
