CHANDIGARH: MLAs of the incumbent
Congress and opposition parties spared over management of Covid-19 in
Punjab during the ongoing budget session of Punjab assembly.
Expressing displeasure over
limited ICU beds in
government hospitals, Shiromani Akali Dal MLA N K Sharma said the government was heavily dependent on private health facilities.
Countering the claims of the government that all positive patients were provided a kit containing oximeter and required medicine, Sharma said the kit was not given to everyone. Citing his own example, the SAD MLA said his family members were tested positive, but no one received a kit.
Punjab health minister
Balbir Singh Sidhu intervened, saying the kit was being given to everyone. He said Punjab was one of the bestmanaged states in the country, for which it received appreciation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He added patients from other states, including national capital Delhi, were coming to Punjab for treatment.
Questioning the quality of service at government facilities, Aman Arora of AAP gave the example of minister for jails and cooperation Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa who was tested positive by a government laboratory, but negative in two subsequent tests at PGI and a private lab. “Their own ministers don’t trust state government’s facilities,” said Arora.
Congress MLA Sukhwinder Singh Danny lauded the government, saying it helped five lakh migrants reach their homes. He also said the government made arrangements for bringing back around 4,000 pilgrims from Nanded in
Maharashtra and 2,000 students from Kota.
AAP MLA Rupinder Kaur Ruby accused the state government of making the Covid outbreak an excuse for non-fulfilment of promises made in 2017.