Panaji, Shekhar Salkar, a former president and current spokesperson of the Goa chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), has tendered a public apology for saying that 50 per cent of doctors at the Goa Medical College have been quarantined due to suspected infection of COVID-19.

The medical college is the state government's top health facility and hosts one of the several quarantine facilities in Goa for suspected COVID-19 patients.

"I have to clarify that by mistake I said that 50 per cent of GMC doctors are under quarantine. I had a discussion with Health Secretary and she has clarified that no doctors from GMC are under quarantine. So sorry for the mistake...," Salkar said in his apology on Friday.

Salkar also heads the onclogy department at the Manipal hospital in Goa.

The apology followed after Health Minister Vishwajit Rane called out Salkar for his statement, made on Wednesday.

"It has come to my notice that a video has got viral where a doctor from Manipal Health, Dr. Shekhar Salkar, has been spreading rumours about GMC, that 50 per cent of doctors are under quarantine. I appreciate expression of views, but spreading fallacious news is absolutely unacceptable," Rane had said.

The Health Minister also said, that action would be taken against Salkar under the Epidemic Disease Act.