Panaji, May 24 (PTI) Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane and state Congress chief Girish Chodankar on Monday engaged in a war of words over the decision to administer Ivermectin tablets to those above 18 as part of a prophylaxis treatment to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Chodankar during the day tweeted that the move on the part of the Pramod Sawant government was a "scam", leading to Rane hitting back saying the Goa Congress needed "better fact-checking tools".

"Ivermectin 'Scam from Scam by @BJP4Goa Government's @goacm @DrPramodPSawant and Health Minister @visrane. After @INCGoa warning against use of said tablets without clinical trials as per @WHO guidelines, Rs 22.50 crores #Ivermectin tablets disappeared. #Golmaal exposed," Chodankar tweeted.

“It looks like the Congress party needs better fact-checking tools. @WHO shares broad guidelines, countries/states have been given the flexibility to evolve and make their own set of treatment protocols. Prophylaxis treatment has been recommended by a group of experts," Rane replied on Twitter.

Rane said several other governments were following Goa's Ivermectin move and invited Chodankar to a debate on the issue.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)