KEY STORY
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The state government on Wednesday rejected the Congress demand for a judicial probe into alleged irregularities in the purchase of medical equipment to battle Covid-19 pandemic. Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar, who is also in charge of the Covid team, said there is no corruption in the purchases and there is no question of a judicial probe.
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At the Assembly on Tuesday, Congress members, including Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah, KPCC president D K Shivakumar and others alleged irregularities in the purchase of PPE kits, ventilators, masks, gloves and sanitiser, and demanded a judicial probe.
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Dr.Sudhkar defended the price variation in purchases in March-April as compared to July-August. “When Covid broke out in March, the demand for PPE kits was high, but the supply low. PPE kits that came, in the beginning, were more like raincoats that nobody was willing to wear. That’s when we ordered three lakh PPE kits from China. It was the first and last time we imported these kits.
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Later, it was all from Indian companies. Now there are more manufacturing units and India is capable of supplying them to other countries. One should know that we are not paying the same amount as we did in March and April. There is no corruption. If the government had not taken those measures, the toll would have been higher,’’ he said.
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On allegations that the state was not prepared to handle the pandemic, he said that in March, the state had just two testing labs, but now it has 136.
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We were conducting 200 tests per day which has increased to 1.5 lakh. We have increased the number of ambulances from 800 to 2,000. We have sufficient liquid oxygen. World’s fatality rate is 3.6 per cent and India’s is 1.54 per cent, while Karnataka’s 1.36 per cent.
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How can the opposition say we have failed,’’ he asked. “We are in the middle of a war and not at the end. Each one of us has to fight the pandemic,’’ he said. Unhappy with his reply, Opposition party members walked out.
CONCLUSION
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Private hospitals are charging exorbitant sums to treat Covid patients, and the government should take action, said Opposition party members in the Assembly on Wednesday.
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Jayanagara Congress MLA Soumya Ramalinga Reddy said, “The father of one of my friends tested positive and his family had to run from one hospital to another to get a bed. As oxygen was not available, he passed away.”
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“In another instance, a private hospital charged Rs 16 lakh. How can they charge so much,” she asked. On his own experience, Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah, who tested positive and admitted to a private hospital, said he was asked if he preferred a ward for Rs 15,000 or Rs 35,000 per day.
