PANJIM Goa – Over 400 deaths in the last two weeks at Goa’s premier healthcare facility Goa Medical College & Hospital between the “DARK HOURS of 2 am and 6 am” and clear-cut admission by Goa’s BJP government before the High Court of Bombay at Goa that 41 deaths occurred due to shortage of oxygen in GMC by Dean of GMC and Goa’s Health Secretary smacks of criminal negligence and inhuman conduct.
In a statement issued here, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar stated that the candid admission that there is a substantial deficit of Oxygen Supply, by the BJP Government in Goa shows that it is Irresponsible, Insensitive and run by an incompetent and defective Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant and Health Minister Viswajit Rane. It is tragic that so many innocent lives were lost just because of a tussle between CM & HM over corruption at a time of monumental health crisis.
He said that patients dying due to insufficient supply of oxygen is nothing but cold blooded murder of Covid patients by CM and HM.
“If health minister admits on camera that he was aware that patients were dying between 2-6 am on a daily basis and that the death toll in Goa would be around 200-300 per day, why did he not act upon it and ensure that such a calamity is averted. What action had the CM and HM specifically taken to stop COVID deaths regularly between 2 am and 6 am?,” Chodankar questioned.
The Goa Congress president said that the Congress party is going to file a criminal complaint against both for culpable homicide.
“What the duo(Pramod Sawant and Vishwajit Rane) has committed is more horrific than a genocide. They overlooked these deaths on a regular interval and deserve treatment only fit for criminals,” Chodankar said.
He further said that As on Thursday(May 13), there are a total of 1937 Covid related deaths out of which only 41 are officially accepted by Government before the Court as deaths due to Oxygen shortage adding that We hope the High Court will order an impartial inquiry by a Retired High Court Judge to ascertain the truth.
Chodankar stated that BJP Government in Goa has made “Business from Peoples Sickness” since the Covid pandemic outbreak in India which PM Modi calls ‘Aapda mein avsar’ (opportunity in crisis).
“For the CM and HM, the ‘aapda mein avsar’ was in fact only the commission which they were eying for the purchase of crores of ivermectin tablets, which have been mysteriously made a part of the Covid protocol in Goa. The focus of the CM and HM on this commission which runs into crores of rupees, was one of the key reasons why the government collectively failed to prevent people from dying due to oxygen shortage,” he said.
“It is ironical that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had the time to settle a commission dispute between Goa BJP’s two “political brats” and not focus on preventing the scores of deaths for the mass murders at Goa’s hospitals on the BJP’s watch,” he added.
Chodankar opined that if Goa had a full time Governor in the form of Shri Satyapal Malik, it could have helped save hundreds of lives of innocents.
“A part time Governor in the form of Bhagat Singh Koshyari has failed to implement the necessary checks and balances in matters of governance, which the Constitution of India provides. When the CM and HM failed in their duties during the first Covid wave, it was Malik who had taken charge of affairs and brought relief to Goa, which was reeling from the crisis,” he said.
Chodankar further said that it was high time that both CM and HM be sacked, booked and arrested for mass murder.
“We will file criminal complaint against both and if needed will move to court of law for justices to innocents who were killed by both,” said Chodankar.