Public healthcare system collapsed under Congress rule, says KTR

Ever since the Congress party had taken over the reins of the State, healthcare services had gone for a toss and the people were not getting basic facilities. The Chief Minister, had completely abandoned the public health system, says BRS working president KT Rama Rao

Hyderabad: Expressing concern over the falling healthcare system in the State, BRS working president KT Rama Rao said the Congress government was neglecting the healthcare system in the State.

In an open letter to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday, Rama Rao said ever since the Congress party had taken over the reins of the State, healthcare services had gone for a toss and the people were not getting basic facilities. People were being bedridden due to viral fevers, including dengue, as the State machinery, including the Chief Minister, had completely abandoned the public health system.

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The former Minister expressed anger that the Congress government, which should have focused on public health before the monsoon season, completely neglected this issue. He criticized the government for lacking even the basic understanding of taking preemptive measures to prevent the outbreak of viral fevers, leading to the current situation where people were suffering. Though official statistics claim that nearly 5,700 dengue cases have been reported this year in the State, unofficially this number could be ten times higher, he said, adding that nearly 50 people, including children, recently died from dengue due to lack of timely treatment. “The recent incident of five people dying in a single day due to dengue has shocked everyone,” he said.

Questioning the Chief Minister’s inaction on such a critical issue concerning people’s lives and highlighting the lack of continuous reviews at the Chief Minister’s level which led to the complete failure of the healthcare system, he wanted to know whether the Chief Minister cared more about political gains than the health of the public.

Rama Rao urged the government to prioritize sanitation management to prevent the spread of viral fevers and called for immediate and robust measures to control the mosquito menace. Stating that the State government’s failure to release funds to gram panchayats and municipalities exacerbated the issue, he criticized the government’s inability to even provide funds for mosquito control.

“Public health has become a mere shadow under the Congress government. While delays in development projects might be tolerable, the loss of life cannot be reversed,” he reminded, advising the Chief Minister to stop focusing on political affairs and instead concentrate on controlling the spread of dengue, malaria, and other viral fevers in the State. Stating that giving top priority to sanitation management would solve half the problem, he demanded that all government hospitals and primary health centres be equipped with necessary medicines and that quality treatment be provided to patients.