Selja raps govt for 'failure' to control dengue

Congress Member of Parliament from Sirsa and former Union Minister Kumari Selja today alleged that the BJP government was directly responsible for the increase in dengue cases in the state. The state government did not conduct fogging as a precautionary measure in anticipation of dengue nor did it make efforts to raise awareness among the public. Due to the rapid increase in dengue and malaria cases in the state over the past month, people are turning to private hospitals for treatment, she said. In such a situation, the state government should ensure free treatment for patients suffering from dengue, malaria and other fevers.

In a statement released today, Selja alleged that the BJP government was not bothered about the health of the state's people. Cases of gross negligence in the Health Department continue to emerge from various corners of the state every week, she alleged. Despite this, neither have health services been improved, nor has any step been taken to rectify the deteriorating condition of the Health Department. Selja questioned why the BJP government did not prepare in advance when it knows that dengue and malaria season arrives every year. Neither fogging was done in cities and villages, nor were mosquito nets distributed in areas declared sensitive due to malaria and other fevers. Besides, adequate arrangements for the treatment of dengue patients in government hospitals were also not made, she alleged.

She said thousands of posts of lab technicians, paramedical staff, doctors and specialist doctors are vacant in the Health Department. For many of these positions, the recruitment process had not been initiated, she alleged.