BJP offers to help Odisha govt in fight against pandemic

BHUBANESWAR: At a time when the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic is creating havoc, the Opposition BJP on Friday offered all possible assistance to the State government in its fight against coronavirus. The BJP pledged to serve the people hand in hand with the government during a virtual meeting with Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra and Development Commissioner Pradip Jena. “The BJP has decided to stand with the government in this hour of crisis and do whatever responsibility is assigned to the party to alleviate the miseries of the people,” said State president of the party Samir Mohanty. 

Drawing attention of the two top heads of the State administration to some manmade crisis in the management of the pandemic, the State functionaries of the BJP said many coronavirus affected patients are left in lurch due to acute shortage of oxygen and beds in Covid hospitals. They said the health care system in district headquarters hospital has crumbled with no oxygen and ventilators. The situation in the rural areas is more serious in the absence of temporary medical centres and inadequate doctors and paramedical staff. 

Requesting the government to make necessary arrangements at the CHC level for treatment of Covid patients, the BJP suggested establishing a 5,000-bed temporary hospital somewhere with all medical equipment to treat the increasing number of Covid patients. They further urged the government to ramp up the ICUs in major hospitals across the State and supply ventilators to DHHs with trained doctors to operate. 

Informing the government that the party has formed Covid management committee in all districts and blocks of the State, the BJP sought permission for opening and operating Covid care centres to facilitate treatments of rural patients.The BJP leaders further requested the Chief Secretary to place a mechanism in place to provide daily information about the Covid patients under treatment in different dedicated Covid hospitals to their family members. Alleging that the vaccination programme in the State is not streamlined yet, the BJP said a large number of people in rural areas have not got their first dose due to sheer mismanagement in vaccine distribution.