Terming the death of 60 infants at a hospital in Uttar Pradesh as a government-sponsored murder, activists associated with Pragna Kanoonu Salaha Samithi, Samajika Parivarthana Janandolana, Bisilu Beladingalu Yuva Barahagarara Vedike and Odugara Vedike and other organisations staged a demonstration outside the district administrative complex here on Monday. They sought a thorough investigation of the incident by the National Child Rights Commission and filing a criminal case against the errant official responsible for the gruesome incident.
The agitating activists, wearing black bands, held the Uttar Pradesh government responsible for the incident and sought the resignation of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Health Minister Siddharth Nath Singh. They also condemned the government for not adequately supplying equipment and other infrastructure in State-run hospitals.
“For the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the lives of cattle are more valuable than human life. They make a hue and cry when some cows die. But, they are silent when precious human lives are lost due to negligence,” K. Neela, secretary of Pragna Kanoonu Salaha Samithi, said during the agitation.
Putting the incident in a larger perspective, Ms. Neela said that the process of privatising the health sector and abandoning public health system was the primary reason for the deteriorating health scenario in general and the incident in particular.
“The successive governments are invariably moving in the direction of complete privatisation of health sector making health policies favourable for private players and neglecting public health institutions. Even supplies to public health institutions are being outsourced to private parties. In Gorakhpur, the procurement of oxygen cylinders was outsourced to a private party who had stopped supply due to non-payment of dues, which eventually led to the tragedy,” she said. She demanded that the governments learn a lesson from the tragedy and stop privatisation of the health sector.
A memorandum, addressed to the President, was submitted to the office of Deputy Commissioner.
