Says JK facing acute shortage of ventilators, ambulance safety kits

New Delhi: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Member of Parliament from Anantnag Hasnain Masoodi on Monday said the GOI’s response to COVID-19 crises presented a grim tale of misstatement and ill-conceived decisions forcing millions in poverty and hunger.
While speaking in Lok Sabha under rule 193 on COVID-19 pandemic in the country, Masoodi said the at the very onset the country’s retort to the emerging threat of COVID-19 presents a tale of mismanagement due to which the COVID19 cases in the country have surpassed Brazil and now stands second to USA in spite of the stringent lockdown in the world.
“The lock down which was put in place at three hours notice forced millions into hunger and poverty, but failed to control the sprawl of the new infections. The crises induced by COVID-19 unleashed a dramatic economic collapse and humanitarian catastrophe in India, the most destructive being the trajectory of the disease due to the ill-conceived decisions and mismanagement of the situation by the incumbent government,” he said.
“COVID-19 knocked the door of the country in early February this year. Unfortunately the government retort to the disease was nonchalant and slothful. No attention was paid to the augmentation of medical equipment and hospital infrastructure. On the contrary the government invested into the program like Namaste Trump and similar other insignificant programmes, turning volt face to the emerging storm,” he added.
Drawing attention of the government towards the dearth of facilities and infrastructure in JK Masoodi said, “As far as J&K is concerned the region has already been under a stringent clampdown and curfew post unconstitutional abrogation of Articles 370, 35-A. The subsequent COVID-19 induced lock down compounded the miseries of the people. Our laborers were stuck across north Indian states. Many of them got infected due to the slack attitude of the government. On their arrival they were kept in primary schools and Panchayat Ghar which lacked basic facilities.”
“The frontline staff, and numerous health workers including doctors, nurses have been working day in, day out notwithstanding the deficiency of necessary life saving gear. The local administration had also failed to give a bump to the required infrastructure at the very onset. On my behalf I released Rs 1.50 Cr from my MPLAD Funds in Anantnag constituency to enable the local administration to increase their efforts to combat the crises effectively. However the dearth of ventilators, ambulances is still felt in every district of J&K. So far nearly 14 lakh tests have been done, but the process needs to be amplified. The local frontline workers are still devoid of necessary masks and other live saving kits including PPE, masks etc,” he said.
He urged the government to ensure necessary economic support to the J & K administration to address the exigencies that have arisen in wake of humanity’s biggest ever public health crises. He also expressed dismay over the continuous gags on 4G internet connectivity in the state saying the measure has affected lakhs of our students and medical staff to work effectively during the ongoing COVID-19 induced crises. He impressed upon the GOI to restore full speed internet connectivity in the region.

KR Desk