Leaders of various mass organisations representing students, youth, women and labour vociferously demanded that the State government immediately declare health emergency in Khammam district to tackle the rising tide of fever cases and bolster public healthcare services to offer timely treatment to patients.

In pursuit of their demand for declaration of health emergency, the Progressive Youth League (PYL) and the Progressive Organisation for Women (POW) jointly organised a two-day dharna, which concluded here on Tuesday.

A host of leaders of PDSU, AIKMS, IFTU, AIDWA and various other mass organisations affiliated to the Opposition parties took part in the dharna on the concluding day and extended their support to the stir.

Addressing the demonstration, PYL State general secretary Pradeep slammed the State government for ‘failing to effectively implement preventive measures’ such as eradication of mosquito breeding sources and pre-monsoon sanitation drive in most parts of the State.

The State-run hospitals are struggling to cope with a steady inflow of fever patients due to factors like inadequate bed strength and manpower, he pointed out.

The surging number of viral fever including dengue cases in different parts of the district calls for urgent steps to control vector borne diseases, overcome the shortage of beds and manpower in the government health facilities, enable the patients to access public healthcare services and prevent their exploitation by errant private hospitals, he said.

Some of the speakers demanded that the government provide compensation to the kin of poor people who succumbed to seasonal diseases including fevers and plug deficiencies in healthcare delivery system.

PYL former State secretary Pullaiah, CPI (ML-ND) State leader R Chandrasekhar and district secretary G. Venkateshwarlu also spoke at the dharna.