Hyderabad: Congress leader Shabbir Ali demanded that the Telangana Government declare a medical emergency in the state in view of rising COVID-19 cases and deaths. He also demanded the postponement of municipal elections that are to be held on April 30.
The former cabinet minister said that the state Government has completely failed to deal with the COVID-19 situation, and added that no beds are available either in government or private hospitals. Further, there was a huge shortage of oxygen in many government hospitals, he alleged. Shabbir Ali said that there was a huge contradiction in the claims by health minister Etela Rajender regarding the availability of facilities in government hospitals and the real situation.
“The health minister does not even have an idea about available bed strength in the State. A Mandal president of the Congress party from Kamareddy district was admitted for COVID-19 treatment and doctors recommended his shifting to any major hospital in Hyderabad,” Ali said.
The Congress leader accused the ruling TRS government of hiding “real” statistics pertaining to COVID-19 cases and deaths. Similarly, he said that the details of healthcare facilities were also being exaggerated to stake false claims. “Chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is playing with the lives of innocent people by tampering with the COVID-19 figures. He is apparently the only chief minister in the country who did not hold any review meeting on Covid’s situation,” Shabbir Ali allehed.
He also said that the state needs to take a break from elections and other activities involving crowd and mass gatherings. Therefore, he said that the elections of two municipal corporations and five municipalities, which are scheduled to be held on April 30, be postponed.