CALANGUTE: Ports minister and Calangute MLA Michael Lobo on Wednesday said the number of people who have died due to Covid-19 is probably much higher than what has been reported.
“A lot of deaths have not been reported as Covid-19 deaths.
Someone dies of a heart attack and then a few days later, his wife and children test positive for Covid-19.
Then we come to know that the death was due to Covid-19,” he said at Parra.
The minister said that Covid-19 has shown that most rural areas are ill-equipped to deal with a situation like a pandemic.
“During the pandemic, people from different villages were calling others in other villages seeking ambulances because there were no ambulances available in their own villages.
Every panchayat should have an ambulance, which is not there at the moment.
Instead of spending money on this and that, I feel the government should provide one ambulance to each of the panchayats,” Lobo said.
Corporates readily sponsored two ambulances — each costing Rs 26 lakh — as part of their CSR when he contacted them for help, Lobo said.
“We’re giving one to Saligao and the other to Siolim.
We already have ambulances in Calangute, Candolim and Parra,” he said even as he urged panchayats and MLAs to request corporates to donate ambulances as part of their CSR, “because they’re ready to do so and many lives will be saved”.