Govt has failed on health front: AAP

Tribune News Service

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Chandigarh, May 4

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has alleged the Punjab Government had failed to provide health services and save lives in the state during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

AAP’s doctor wing state president Dr Ravjot, state co-president Dr Sanjeev Sharma and vice-president Dr Charanjit Singh Channi said the new strain of Covid was spreading rapidly in the entire country, but neither the Centre nor the Punjab Government had made proper arrangements.

Dr Ravjot said most district hospitals in Punjab did not even have ventilators for critically ill patients. “Even in Punjab, Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu’s own SAS Nagar district, there is no ventilator system in any of the government hospitals,” he said.

He further said while there was a severe shortage of medicines and oxygen across the state, about 300 ventilators provided by the central government to Punjab were gathering dust in the hospitals.

Dr Ravjot said despite the prior warning of the second wave, the Capt Amarinder government failed to recruit more doctors, medical staff and nurses and ensure ventilator systems in the hospitals.

He further alleged the mortality rate of Covid victims in Punjab was 2.4 per cent, which was much higher than the national rate. Dr Sanjeev Sharma said the pace of vaccination in Punjab was also very slow.

Dr Charanjit Singh Channi said Captain Amarinder Singh had handed over many government ventilators to the private hospitals and the private hospitals were charging Rs 8 to Rs 10 lakh from the Covid patient for treatment, which was intolerable.