Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) has demanded that the State and Central governments include the treatment of novel coronavirus and black fungus infections in the Aarogyasri and Ayushman Bharat schemes so that poor people could get timely and free treatments.
Speaking at ‘Satyagraha Deeksha’ organised in response to a call given by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) here on Monday, TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said inclusion of the two dreaded infectious diseases would allow the poor and middle class families get treatment in private and government hospitals.
He also suggested the State government to follow the directions of the High Court in dealing with the COVID situation and also ensure reimbursement of excess charges collected by the private hospitals to the families of patients concerned. He said the TPCC as also the Congress leaders had been asking the State government to include the two infections under Aarogyasri from the very beginning.
On the diagnostic centres proposed to be established by the government, the TPCC chief sought to know why MRI and CT scan equipment was not included as their utility is higher during the present pandemic.
Congress Legislature Party leader M. Bhatti Vikramarka criticised the State government for its inability to provide proper healthcare even seven years after formation of the State.
Senior leader and MLC T. Jeevan Reddy said about 10 lakh people might have suffered the coronavirus infection in the State already although the official statistics speak differently. He demanded ₹50 lakh financial assistance to families to all COVID warriors who had lost their lives.
Criticising the TRS government for not making proper allocations to healthcare for the last seven years, spokesperson of AICC D. Shravan said the allocation had been lesser than national average, and than the States having lesser revenue than Telangana. He stated that about 70% nurses posts were vacant in government hospitals but only 2,400 posts were filled during the last seven years.
“It’s an unhealthy rule in Telangana as there’s no Health Minister although COVID pandemic has been affecting the lives of all sections,” Mr. Shravan said asking people to take to streets in large numbers to protest the government attitude and bring pressure on it for proper response to the pandemic situation.
Senior leaders Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Md. Ali Shabbir, Mallu Ravi, M. Shashidhar Reddy, M. Anjan Kumar Yadav, T. Jayaprakash Reddy, Balaram Naik and several others participated in the protest.
Similar protests were held in all district headquarters too.
