MINISTER’S LETTER HIGHLIGHTING CRUMBLING HEALTH INFRA IN LKO GOES VIRAL
LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh law minister Brajesh Pathak’s confidential letter to a senior health official went viral on Tuesday wherein the minister expressed deep concern over the crumbling health infrastructure in Lucknow amid the Covid-19 surge, HT has learnt. In his letter, Pathak also warned of a lockdown in the city, if the situation didn’t improve.
“If the Covid scenario is not controlled soon, we will have to impose a lockdown in Lucknow,” Pathak pointed out in his letter to the additional chief secretary (health) and principal secretary (medical education).
When asked about the letter in circulation, the law minister refused to comment, saying it was a highly confidential letter and he doesn’t know how it got leaked.
All attempts to contact Jai Pratap Singh, health minister in the state government, failed. The minister did not receive calls. Senior officials of the state government also refused to comment on the letter.
Pathak also raised the issue of Lucknow-based historian Yogesh Praveen’s death due to the non-availability of an ambulance despite the fact that the minister himself requested the CMO to arrange for an ambulance.
Praveen, 82, died on Monday due to Covid-19.
The minister expressed concern over the delay in the timely arrival of ambulances at patients’ residence, among other issues. Against the requirement of 17,000 Covid testing kits per day, only 10,000 were available, the minister stated in his letter.
Suggesting some immediate measures to mitigate the crisis,
Pathak recommended an increase in the number of Covid-19 beds in hospitals and resumption of Covid testing facilities in private hospitals/ pathologies.
The minister also suggested random RT-PCR tests, availability of reports within 24 hours, increasing ICU beds for Covid patients and adequate stock of Remdesivir injection, a life-saving drug for critical Covid-19 patients.
Pathak raised the issue of critical patients suffering from cancer, heart, liver and kidney ailments and sought better medical facilities for them.
Commenting on the law minister’s letter, Aradhana Mishra, MLA and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, said: “When a cabinet minister of the state government is pointing towards the worsening scenario, then it could easily be understood how grim the Covid situation is in Lucknow.”
“The government must take the minister’s letter seriously and take adequate measures to improve health facilities to fight Covid,” added Mishra.
Mishra said that the situation was bad in Lucknow and Covid beds must be increased.
Rajendra Chaudhary, Samajwadi Party spokesperson, said: “The state government is busy presenting statistics only. Health infrastructure has crumbled in Lucknow. There is an acute shortage of beds for Covid patients.”
“The situation is worsening with every passing day in Lucknow. The government has failed to tackle the pandemic,” he said.
On Tuesday, the state reported the highest-ever single-day spike in Covid-19 cases with 18,021 fresh infections and 85 fatalities. The Covid death toll in Uttar Pradesh stands at 9,309, a senior official said.