Hyderabad: Former health minister T. Harish Rao on Wednesday accused the state government of neglecting public health and alleged that as a result, thousands of people were falling victim to viral fevers, dengue, malaria and chikungunya diseases.
“Just since Tuesday, at least five people have died from Dengue, but the government appears not bothered at all. This neglect of public health and healthcare services has turned into a curse on the people, who are falling sick in droves,” Harish Rao said.
Not a single review on public health has been conducted by the Chief Minister or the Chief Secretary, and no special drives are being held for mosquito eradication either in villages or in towns and cities. At least now, the government must wake up, review the situation and take urgent measures to stop the further spread of the diseases, he said.
The former health minister said he and his party BRS have been urging the government to focus on sanitation and public health and warned that their neglect would result in a crisis, which has become true now. “As no funds have been released for gram panchayats, sanitation works have ground to a halt in rural areas, which are among the worst hit by fevers. The severity of the situation can be gauged by the fact that there were no beds available in any government hospital anywhere in the state as they are full of people suffering from various fevers,” Harish Rao said.
