Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee treasurer Gudur Narayana Reddy has demanded that all doctors treating COVID-19 patients be provided with Hazmat suits, which he claimed are safer than the suits presently being supplied by the government.
At a press conference here, he said the government was not taking protection of frontline workers seriously and suggested that the Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) supplied to them should be of best quality.
Stating that about 48 PG doctors been tested positive for COVID-19 so far and NIMS had to close a block because of the spread of virus, he said the developments expose the utter negligence of the State government.
The Congress leader said many doctors have alleged that the protocols issued by the World Health Organisation and Indian Council for Medical Research were not being followed and even doctors who got infected were allegedly not sent to quarantine. He also accused the government of neglecting the health of police personnel, stating that they were not provided any protective gear.
“Police constable Dayakar Reddy died due to coronavirus and the government did not even conduct his last rites with State honours. Neither the Chief Minister nor the Ministers visited the family to offer condolences,” he said and demanded ₹1 crore compensation for the bereaved family. He said the police personnel should be paid compensation even if they were infected with COVID-19 and their entire quarantine and treatment period should be treated as paid leave.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Narayana Reddy distributed masks and sanitisers among the poor people in Lalaguda, Secunderabad.