The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday expressed shock at the demise of six Covid-19 patients at Amritsar due to shortage of medical oxygen and demanded immediate fixing of responsibility for the tragedy.
In a statement here, former Minister Bikram Singh Majithia also demanded Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh tell Punjabis why he had not been able to set his house in order despite advance warnings of the second wave of Covid infections as well as need for more oxygen facilities, ventilators and ICUs.
“It is clear that the chief minister has failed to lead from the front. He is content to shutter himself in his farm house as the State burns”.
Majithia said the less said about Health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu the better.
“The health minister has been oblivious to the situation developing in the State due to high incidence of the pandemic.
He failed to do anything, be it ensuring upgradation of facilities in government hospitals, creating specialized care for Covid patients, increasing the ventilator count with ventilators sent from the centre remaining unpacked for months to creating more ICU facilities,” he said.
The senior SAD leader asked the chief minister to give express directions to the administration to ensure adequate availability of medical grade oxygen supply at all government and private hospitals. Majithia said more needed to be done to provide succor for Covid patients. “We are receiving horror stories from across the State. Besides shortage of oxygen, patients are not getting supply of life saving drugs like Toclizumab, Itolizumab and Remedisvir. Even ordinary medicines are not available in government hospitals,” he alleged.
Majithia also demanded an independent probe into the Congress government claim that it had spent Rs 1,000 crore on upgrading hospital infrastructure to combat Covid in the last one year. “If the government had truly done this thousands would not have died due to its sheer apathy. Punjab would not have the highest mortality rate in the country”. He demanded the government increase bed facilities in hospitals; ensure adequate manufacturing and supply of oxygen to hospitals, increase ventilators and ramp up ICU facilities.