• CM KCR is responsible for Covid deaths, must be booked for homicide: Shabbir

Hyderabad, June 7, 2021: The Congress party on Monday demanded that the Telangana Government provide free treatment for Coronavirus and Black Fungus for all the patients and ensure free vaccination for all in a time-bound manner.

Addressing the ‘Satyagraha Deeksha’ at Gandhi Bhavan as a part of nationwide protest demanding universal free vaccination against Covid-19 organised by the Congress party on Monday, former minister & ex-Leader of Opposition in Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir strongly condemned the BJP Government at the Centre and TRS Govt in the Telangana over the slow pace of Covid vaccination.

The Deeksha was also addressed by TPCC President Uttam Kumar Reddy, CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and other senior leaders.

Shabbir Ali, in his speech, pointed out that as against the requirement of about 3.4 crore vaccine doses, as of 6th June 2021, only 66,95,704 doses have been administered which includes 13.03 lakh second doses. “Telangana needs over 2.73 crore doses to vaccinate the population of above 18 years. The average vaccination so far has been 47,152 doses per day. If the vaccination drive continues at the same pace, it would take nearly 580 days or about 19 months to vaccinate the entire adult population. Consequently, a majority of the population will remain exposed to Coronavirus for the next one-and-a-half year,” he said.

The Congress leader said that the Telangana Government has failed to pressurise the Centre in getting the vaccine doses in adequate quantity. He said the tall claims made by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao over global tenders to get vaccines proved hollow as his government could not secure a single additional dose. He alleged that CM KCR has been giving false statements to mislead the people so as to buy more time. “CM KCR has been misleading the people on Covid-19 since the beginning. When the first case of Coronavirus was reported in Telangana on 1st March 2020, CM KCR downplayed it by making a statement in the Assembly that it can be cured with a Paracetamol tablet and the virus will die in a temperature of 22 Degrees Celsius. People trusted him and remained careless which led to the spread of the disease in all parts of Telangana. He maintained a careless attitude till the end of the first wave and did not upgrade the health infrastructure and manpower. Consequently, over 5.91 lakh people got infected and thousands lost their lives. CM KCR is primarily responsible for most of the Covid deaths and he must be booked for homicide,” he said.

“On 14th March 2020, CM KCR announced in the Assembly that the State Govt will spend Rs. 1,000 Crore to control Covid-19. This promise was not fulfilled. Later, TRS Govt collected huge donations and it was yet to give details of the total collection and how it was utilised. On 9th September 2020, CM KCR announced in the Assembly that Coronavirus treatment will be included in the Aarogyasri Scheme. But this has not been done. People have sold their houses and gold and spent entire savings on Covid treatment due to the organised loot by private hospitals. CM KCR neither honoured his promise of providing free treatment nor took any measures to prevent loot by private corporate hospitals. His criminal negligence has ruined the lives of lakhs of families across Telangana,” he alleged.

Speaking about Black Fungus cases, Shabbir Ali said that Telangana Govt was doing nothing concrete to deal with the rising cases of Mucormycosis. Black Fungus has been declared as a pandemic, but the government is hiding its figures, he alleged.

“The TRS party, in its election manifesto for 2014 elections had promised to establish 24 Super Speciality Hospitals in 24 District Headquarters; 30-bedded hospitals with four doctors in each Mandal and 100-bedded hospital for each Assembly constituency. After coming to power TRS Govt reduced the expenditure on public health from 4.1% of the total budget in 2014-15 to a mere 3.5% in 2019-20. While the old promises are unfulfilled, KCR woke up from his ‘Kumbhakaran’ slumber after 15 months and he is again misleading the people by promising new hospitals and up-gradation in health infrastructure. He is now trying to highlight 19 Diagnostics Centres as his ‘super achievement’,” he said.

Shabbir Ali demanded that the State Government should ensure free treatment for Covid-19 and Black Fungus patients. There must be universal free vaccination against Covid-19. He also demanded compensation to those who died due to Covid-19. “Covid and Black Fungus treatment should be included in the Aarogyasri with retrospective effect from 1st March 2020. Those who’ve already paid to private hospitals for Covid treatment must be reimbursed the entire amount,” he demanded.