BJP hits out at Odisha government for slack in Covid testing

BHUBANESWAR: With the Covid-19 resurgence putting pressure on the healthcare system, the BJP on Wednesday blamed the State government for the spike in cases.Attributing the surge in the infection to the abysmally low testing in Odisha, State BJP general secretary Prithiviraj Harichandan told a media conference that the government has failed to discharge its duty by not upscaling the tests. While other states have ramped up the testing facilities and significantly improved the rate of testing, the Naveen Patnaik government is still in a slumber, he said.

The government is absolutely callous for rural areas where testing has taken a backseat. With no testing in rural pockets, people do not know about their health status and they are careless about the Covid protocols like wearing mask, maintaining social distancing and sanitisation.Harichandan urged the government to intensify Covid testing at PHC and CHC level as was done during the first wave.

Referring to the government’s claims of having adequate oxygen stock, he called for a clear picture on the exact quantity available in different hospitals of the State.Responding to BJP’s allegations, BJD leader Sushant Singh said the saffron party is in the habit of making such allegations. This is nothing new. The entire world knew how efficiently Odisha government dealt with the Covid situation by taking several proactive measures to protect the lives of people, he said.