Sukhbir Badal asks CM to establish mini Covid Care Centres in all blocks of the State

(Says vaccination process should be accelerated and more vaccines should be procured through open tenders)

(Calls for putting cap on treatment charges by private hospitals)

(Says power and water bills should be waived for a six month period)

Chandigarh, May 13 – Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today requested chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh to lead the fight against Covid from the front and take immediate measures to establish mini Covid Centers, accelerate the vaccination process, re-employ medical staff and put a cap on treatment charges of private hospitals besides waiving off power bills for six months to save lives and give relief to people.

Addressing a press conference here, the SAD President said it was of utmost importance to save lives and to do so the need of the hour was to establish mini Covid Centres with level one and two facilities in all blocks of the State. He said people needed access of basic care and oxygen upon being infected by the virus and the mini Covid Centers could give them immediate relief. He said the SGPC had already taken an initiative in this regard and the government could replicate this model across the State. He said the SAD was ready to provide ‘langar’ service at the Covid Centers opened by the government.

 Badal said vaccination was also necessary and that the government should accelerate the vaccination process and ensure the entire State was vaccinated in the next three months. He said 500 teams could be formed to cover all 12,000 villages and that the government should augment its vaccine supply by going in for global tenders.

The SAD President also appealed to the government to re-employ all doctors and para-medical staff who had superannuated in the last one year for an additional year. He said similarly interns and nursing students should also be hired to fill in the crucial gaps and ensure there was no shortage of manpower.

He also called for putting a cap on treatment charges of private hospitals who were charging Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh as hospitalization charges from Covid patients. He said similarly private institutions were charging as much as Rs 10,000 for a simple CT scan test besides Rs 20,000 for life saving drugs. “Black marketing of medicines should be stopped immediately”. He also called for subsidizing treatment of Covid patients with the Punjab government taking on the responsibility of paying the hospitalization charges.

Stating that the common man was put to a lot of hardship due to the pandemic, Mr Sukhbir Badal said the government should waive off electricity and water bills for a six month period. He said similarly financial relief should be extended to taxi drivers, rickshaw pullers, small shop keepers and labourers whose livelihood had been severely affected due to the ongoing lockdown in the State.

Answering a question,Badal said it was shocking that the State health department did not unpack 809 ventilators which had been dispatched to the State last year. “This is a barometer of the seriousness of the government and this is why I am requesting the chief minister to review the Covid situation on a day to day basis himself and not leave this work to his officers”. He also requested Congress leaders to abstain from internal feuds and quarrels for the top chair and focus on saving lives.

 Badal also disclosed that the SAD had started food service to Covid patients in forty constituencies and would cover all constituencies under this initiative soon. He also lauded the YAD for undertaking a successful Plasma donation drive through its volunteers.