Minister of State with independent charge in the Ministry of Labour and Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar flagged concerns over the COVID-19 response in Uttar Pradesh in a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on May 8. Mr. Gangwar complained about officers not answering phone calls and patients being forced to visit multiple facilities before being admitted to a hospital.
Mr. Gangwar, who is the Lok Sabha MP from Bareilly in U.P., participated in a review meeting called by the Chief Minister in Bareilly on May 8, where, sources said, the letter with suggestions and complaints was handed over. In a tweet on Sunday, Mr. Gangwar said the Chief Minister met the elected representatives and officials of Bareilly to review the ongoing second wave of COVID-19 and made suggestions to improve the healthcare provided to residents.
In the letter, Mr. Gangwar said vendors were selling essential equipment needed by hospitals like ventilators for higher prices than before. He said the government should fix the prices of these machines.
Mr. Gangwar wrote that it was important for COVID-19 patients to receive medical care as soon as possible, but he had come to know that when patients went to any government hospital, they were asked to first go to a district hospital and get a referral. The patients’ oxygen levels keep dropping while they had to visit multiple places before being admitted, he wrote. Terming it a cause of concern, he asked the Chief Minister to address the issue.
He said those who had stored oxygen cylinders at home without needing them, and those who were selling them, should be identified.
Mr. Gangwar complained that “important” officers involved with the COVID-19 response in Bareilly did not answer phone calls, which was leading to “inconvenience” to patients.
The Minister suggested that all private hospitals in Bareilly should cater to COVID-19 patients.
On the vaccination drive, Mr. Gangwar said that all hospitals that were a part of the Ayushman Bharat scheme should also offer vaccines, which should be provided to them.
