Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Congress Committee on Sunday expressed grave concern over the high mortality rate of Covid related deaths in Jammu Medical College and Associated Hospitals and suggested the UT government to immediately invite a team of experts, preferably from AIIMS and PGI Chandigarh , to ascertain the causes and suggest urgent improvements to save the precious lives.
Reacting to the continued higher mortality rates due to Covid-02 in Jammu, JKPCC expressed surprise over such continued high mortality rates , in the second wave of covid since last month and asked the government to invite experts to ascertain the causes / gaps in health and medicare facilities especially the shortcomings in the management on administrative levels etc and suggest urgent measures to save precious lives.
JKPCC chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said that a team of experts can go into causes and ascertain the reasons and suggest immediate measures to improve the situation, he suggested. He also expressed concern over the number of casualties in Kashmir but said that the mortality rate there is much less than Jammu for which credit goes to the health authorities in Kashmir and the government for upgrading infrastructure there in the recent past to deal with Covid-02.
There are less complaints of shortage of oxygen and ICU beds .The testing numbers are also higher as 3259 cases were detected there as compared to 1529 in Jammu province with 42 deaths.
The party said that the visuals of the interviews of different attendants and patients to different media channels reflect the shortcomings on various fronts contradicting the claims of the health authorities and the government in Jammu.
Regrettably, the local BJP is trying to shift the blame only on local authorities in order to hide the failure of the Central government which directly rules and governs the Union territory, he said. Why the centre was sleeping over the timely creation of necessary facilities, despite sufficient time for Covid second wave, questioned Congress.
The party also suggested the need to open channels of communication with different political, social , trade and voluntary organisations and public spirited persons for public feedback and holding regular interactions at the higher levels through virtual mode.
It also welcomed the duo moto cognizance of the court asking UT government to resolve the difficulty in supply of oxygen cylinders to patients at home and hoped it would take notice of high mortality rate as well contradictions in claims and the realities shown by the print and online media , so that close monitoring is done and people feel some relief in the situation, like in various other states due to intervention of the hon’ble supreme court and the high courts.
Appreciating the grant of incentives for doctors and others dealing Covid cases, the party supported the genuine from various left out categories of doctors, health workers and others including NHM health staff for inclusion in the incentive package and asked govt to include these sections.
The party demanded that apart from ration, financial support for the sustenance, be extended to all daily earners like rahari walas, street vendors, labourers and other such categories of people during restrictions.
The government should immediately release wages to all daily wagers, need based workers and other temporary employees during the period.
