One-full, two-halves govt not taking responsibility, says Uddhav Thackeray

Thirty-one patients, including infants, died at the Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital in Nanded in 48 hours since September 30. Pic/PTI

Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray defended health workers and doctors while holding the government solely responsible for deaths in the civic and medical college hospitals in Nanded, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Nagpur, Thane and Kolhapur.

Thackeray demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the medicine shortage and the money spent over many health care schemes. He alleged that the government's decision to buy medicines without tendering will breed more corruption in the health and medical education department where commission agents had been ruling the roost. He alleged a ‘rate card' for getting a choice posting in the department.

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Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena

"It is the same system of people and shortage of human resources that worked during the novel Coronavirus pandemic to save people in adverse conditions during my tenure as the chief minister. The medicines and vaccines were taken to the remotest areas. The workers and doctors did not take a step back. Now the same people are being blamed and defamed. There is no pandemic now, yet the government has failed. The ‘one full two halves' government is not taking any responsibility," he told mediapersons at a press conference on Friday, reminding that he had been adjudged the best CM in the country for pandemic mitigation.

‘Adivasi dean singled out'

Thackeray alleged that the dean of the Nanded medical college was booked for culpable homicide. "The Adivasi dean has been singled out. Why? The people responsible for similar deaths in other places like Thane, Sambhaji Nagar, Nagpur and Kolhapur have gone scot free. It is because the CM's MP has been booked for atrocities (against the backward classes) and they want the dead to withdraw the case under pressure?" Thackeray said the CM and home ministers were in Delhi to attend a conference tackling the naxal menace. "Naxalism is also a serious issue, but many more people have died in hospitals than those killed in Naxal attacks," he said, adding that sensible leaders would have resigned by now in the wake of so many deaths.

‘Invitation to increased corruption'

He said the government had money for publicity, tours to Surat, Guwahati and Goa, but not for medicine procurement. He demanded to know why the old process of buying medicines through Haffkine Institute was stopped. "Now they will be buying medicines as per the rate. If so, then it will be extending an invitation to increased corruption," he stated further.