Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 9: Former minister and senior Congress leader, Raman Bhalla today alleged that COVID-19 crisis has totally exposed the fragile public healthcare system in the Jammu and Kashmir.
While interacting with people at Gadigarh today Bhallla said BJP Govt has miserably failed to make Rs 5 crore PHC at Lower Gadigarh functional even after seven years of time. The building was completed over four years back but no inside infrastructure and staff was provided there. Taking serious cognizance of COVID-19 crisis, Bhalla vociferously raised the issue before all concerned quarters from Divisional Commissioner to Commissioner Secretary Health department to make this PHC functional. After some delay, Govt sanctioned Rs 50 lakhs and put it disposal of Chief Secretary to make this functional but even after more than 20 days nothing has been done in this regard which speaks volume of callousness of Govt.
Bhalla alleged that BJP Govt did not release a single penny to make this hospital functional resulting in utter disappointment among locals who have to move city hospitals for even ordinary ailments. In this regard, he urged LG Administration to take care of this issue on priority and must take steps to make this PHC functional at the earliest.
Bhalla said his ‘COVID-19 Resources Group’ on WhatsApp is getting requests every second for oxygen, anti-viral drugs and hospital beds. The government had a year to prepare for this wave. But when 2021 began, it became complacent, dismantling temporary COVID-19 isolation centers, easing social distancing and lockdown measures, despite warning signs of a next wave and new variants in other countries. India has always had a gap in ‘capacity Vs need’ in its healthcare system. Experts have warned about it for years. But BJP’s leaders were overconfident that defiance of COVID-19 would eventually “kick” the virus out of the country, added Bhalla.
He added that vaccination was a major weapon in defeating the coronavirus but while the Central government had started the vaccination programme for the 18-44 years age group, it had not begun in many districts in J&K due to non-availability of vaccines.
Bhalla claimed that while BJP leaders tried hard to glorify India’s response to the current wave of COVID-19 infections, Govt didn’t share any plans for an immediate investment in healthcare. He said India’s crisis management is probably the worst in the world right now. He lashed out at J&K Administration and said Covid second wave crisis has exposed the fragile public care system under the present BJP governments at the Central and State. People have become helpless without any medical treatment for COVID-19.
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