Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has accused the government of not making a serious attempt to tackle the third wave of the pandemic.
Addressing the media here on Saturday, he said the government was instructing everyone to stay at home, as government hospitals lacked facilities. The Health department laid off around 22,000 workers despite repeated reminders by the Opposition that it was not time to disband the COVID-19 Brigade, he said.
Mr. Satheesan said that people suffering from other ailments were forced to rely on private hospitals if they were infected with COVID-19. Earlier, the poor could secure free treatment under the Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi (KASP). Now, that too has been cancelled, he alleged.
The Opposition Leader demanded that the Health Minister clarify as to what arrangements were in place to treat COVID-19 patients, as the facilities available during the first and second wave no longer existed now. Everything was hijacked by a panel of experts, Health Secretary, and the National Rural Health Mission Director, Mr. Satheesan alleged.
He said that the CPI(M) held a rally in Thrissur on Saturday with the participation of hundreds of people, interpreting the Kerala High Court verdict as applicable only to Kasaragod district. The party was publicly violating the law, he said.
The CPI(M)‘s Kasaragod district conference was suspended only because the court said so, he said, adding that party State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan’s view that the court order did not apply to Thrissur was tantamount to mocking even the legal system.
‘Directive violated’
Mr. Satheesan said that the police had filed a case against five persons, including members of the Opposition for taking part in a protest.
But the CPI(M) held a conference in Thrissur in blatant violation of the government’s directive, which said that not more than 75 persons should attend indoor meetings, he added.
