Gracias CM…better late than never… Blog by Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte

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I am utterly happy for Goans at the decision of the CM to involve the defence services for Covid control and to procure frontline medications…
I had suggested these steps 2 months back and even written to the PM requesting for the services of Army Medical Corps and during the All Party meet last month, I had categorically mentioned the need to procure the frontline Covid treatment medication *ACTEMRA* (Tocilizumab) at a subsidised rate from Cipla so that everyone could afford this costly medicine…I had given the suggestion only after studying the applicability and availability of the medication …I had also gone one step ahead and suggested that Cipla which has been making huge profits in India had the moral responsibility to provide this costly medicine to us at subsidised rates for which Government pressure and action is warranted…
Albeit very late I appreciate the ONLY PROACTIVE ACTION since Corona by CMOs towards Covid control in Goa and a good beginning at that…
BUT it also gives food for thought that, had this been implemented earlier, we wouldn’t have been in this advanced stage of transmission which has gone beyond the controlling capacity of Goa Government…
Wouldn’t it have been more prudent to take these steps much earlier? By now Goa would have been back in the safe zone and on the way to economic revival but now we’re in a far dangerously advanced stage and these few steps won’t help control the situation….There’s an urgent need to also implement my suggestions of total lockdown as is now being done in neighbouring states in similar situations…
I had already suggested involvement of local self help groups,Panchayats etc to ensure grassroots level control mechanism and I am glad that it’s being implemented now but there still is a grey area regarding dissemination of information to and from the grassroots to the CMOs with total transparency…no more hiding of facts and figures because it’s time we understand that _An Informed Population is a Proactive Population_…
It’s also become an absolute necessity to involve the Private Health Sector into Covid control programme by reserving 40% of beds for Corona patients failing which we shall run out of hospital beds considering the present spike rate because the Government hasn’t taken steps to procure Railway Isolation Coaches as was repeatedly suggested by me…Having these Isolation Coaches would have helped in ensuring stricter quarantine…The CMOs can still take the initiative to liaise with Railways for the Isolation Coaches…
What saddens me again and again is that I had projected all these solutions with credibility but the CM conveniently ignored them as it would have perhaps affected his game of oneupmanship if he had accepted solutions of an independent MLA in opposition…What the CM failed to appreciate in his Arrogance is that each of my suggestions were presented in a studied manner after obtaining credible inputs from experts in the field….None of my proactive suggestions were having any potential benefits for me nor were they intended to score any brownie points…
Each of my solutions were only for the common good of Goan people and time has proved me right but it’s nothing to be happy about because Corona has reached that dangerous level in Goa, which I had so dreaded in my projections…Yet it’s comforting to know that the Government has finally woken up to the reality and has decided to implement my suggestions and save Goans from ghastly Corona deaths…
I want the CM to know that he can call me at any unearthly hour when others might not respond, I shall be available for whatever reason he may find me useful but this time around let the call be genuine with no politics but only the sole intention of fighting Corona…
My request to the CM is not to look at me as a political adversary at this time, we can have our political game’s later but right now I am just a concerned representative of the people with a fervent urge to free Goans from the clutches of Corona and I expect the CMOs to put up an all inclusive fight involving every hand available be it of your own or opposition…These are strange time’s that require stranger coalition’s beyond politics…
I pledge my full support to the Government in every possible manner from grassroots level onwards to combat this vicious virus…Together, let’s beat a retreat to this virus out of Goa…We owe it to our future generations to make Goa safe for them by putting up a united fight today..,

1 COMMENT

  1. Beautiful thought n inputs.i have been following ur press interviews from the time where Goa was in green zone where u always spoke about ideas to govt in Goa peoples interest n Goa’s interest.i request with my join hands to CM to please take ur good thoughts n ideas n help in tackling the future of Goa keeping ur political difference aside as Rohan says and request.god bless goa.

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