Hyderabad: Former Minister & ex-Leader of Opposition in Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir has alleged that the TRS Government was indulging in criminal negligence when protecting the lives of common people from deadly Coronavirus in the State.
Shabbir Ali said that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and Health Minister Eatala Rajender were not serious about saving the lives of poor people who were affected by COVID-19. He said that all tall claims made by CM KCR, Minister K. Tarakarama Rao and Health Minister Rajender on medical facilities for corona patients in districts were proving to be hollow and fake. He said people living in rural areas have no facilities, whatsoever to get themselves treated from the Coronavirus.
He pointed out that a 32-year-old woman of Kamareddy, who was in her ninth month of pregnancy, got infected with COVID-19 along with seven members of her family. On Tuesday, she developed labour pains and was rushed to Kamareddy Government Hospital. However, the hospital authorities refused to admit her on the grounds that they do not have facilities to perform the delivery of a COVID-19 patient.
“When the issue was brought to my knowledge, I spoke to the hospital authorities in Kamareddy. They expressed their helplessness in attending to the pregnant woman and advised that she be rushed to Nizamabad Government Hospital. On their advice, she was sent to Nizamabad. There too, the hospital authorities expressed their inability to admit her due to lack of COVID-19 beds and advised that the woman be taken to Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad. Left with no choice, she was immediately rushed to state’s capital. Unfortunately, she died on the way to Hyderabad,” he informed.
Shabbir Ali said that a pregnant woman had to battle for her life and the little child in her womb for almost five-and-a-half-hour. She and her baby could have survived if the State Government would have provided health facilities at Kamareddy Government Hospital.
The Congress leader said that the Coronavirus pandemic had hit the Telangana State about five months ago. The government had sufficient time to upgrade the health infrastructure and improve other facilities across Telangana State. He said that the Chief Minister should have anticipated the needs beforehand to make required arrangements. However, he said that the Chief Minister never came out of his illusionary world to attend to the real needs of the people. Consequently, more people are dying due to negligence than the actual disease, he said.
Shabbir Ali said that the State Government was hiding the real statistics of deaths and cases. He said several cases, like the death of a pregnant woman who died on her way to the hospital, were not being registered officially. He said despite being reprimanded by the High Court multiple times, the State Government is not taking any measures to improve the health facilities for poor people. He feared that the situation might turn much worse if corrective measures were not taken on a war footing basis. He said while rich people could manage treatment in private hospitals, poor people would be the worst victims as they completely depend on government hospitals.
The Congress leader said that it was high time that the State Government declare Health Emergency and dedicate all its resources to combat the COVID-19.