Uttam: State healthcare system has collapsed, virus cases rising
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Saturday alleged that the public healthcare system had collapsed completely, which stood exposed by the state government’s inability to contain the
Covid-19 crisis. They were addressing a press conference after inaugurating a photo exhibition on the completion of Mallu Bhatti’s
10-day state tour of government hospitals.
They said that there was a huge shortage of doctors, nurses and other paramedical staff and all public hospitals treating
Covid-19 patients were without adequate staff. The sanctioned posts of doctors, nurses and other employees were not filled and the existing staff was not provided required infrastructure and support to treat Covid patients, they added.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the TRS government was still trying to
‘manage’ the situation by tampering with statistics and creating an illusion. He pointed out that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao did not even follow Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan’s suggestions and treated them as political criticism.
He alleged that the World Health Organisation’s norm of ‘Track, Test & Treat’ was not followed in Telangana state, which had led to the spread of the Coronavirus in almost all areas.
The TPCC chief alleged
that the public healthcare system was being deliberately destroyed so as to benefit private hospitals. He slammed health minister Etala Rajendar for the death of one Praveen Yadav, a DTP operator, in Huzurabad government hospital. He alleged that the employee was forced to fudge hospital’s statistics to show Cesarean Sections as normal deliveries. On refusal, he was dismissed from service and implicated in a false case. He praised Mallu Bhatti for visiting Covid-19 public hospitals for 10 days.
The CLP leader said that each and every one in Telangana state should be tested for Covid-19 and its treatment should be included under Aarogyasri scheme.
He demanded that more funds be allocated for the health department to deal with the situation. He said that the Congress leaders would shortly meet the Governor and Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy to brief them about the pathetic conditions prevailing in public hospitals.