Blaming the ruling Congress party for the unbridled dengue epidemic in the state, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab delegation on Tuesday called on Punjab Health Minister OP Soni and demanded the government to abandon its lax attitude and launch a war against dengue. Led by senior leader and MLA Aman Arora, the delegation included party’s Youth Wing Punjab president and MLA Meet Hayer and party spokesperson Neel Garg.Addressing the media at Punjab Bhawan after handing over the memorandum to Health Minister OP Soni, Aman Arora said that dengue was rampant not only in Sunam-Sangrur but in the whole of Punjab. Referring to the letter written to Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Health Minister OP Soni regarding dengue, Aman Arora said that three members of the same family - grandfather, father and grandson, died of dengue in Longowal town of Sunam constituency and another 19-year-old grandson was undergoing treatment at the hospital.Arora said that all the government dispensaries and government hospitals in the state were on ventilator due to lack of facilities and doctors-staff. Due to the poor quality of health services at the government level, people have to go to private hospitals for treatment; where patients are being financially exploited. But the government has bowed to the private health mafia in the same way as it did during the Covid pandemic by allowing the private hospitals to loot the patients, he asserted.
He further said that if the government is vigilant and the government health services are better, then the havoc of dengue can be prevented; as dengue is not a sudden outbreak of natural calamity. Every year from September to November, the people have to bear the brunt of the dengue outbreak, as in rural and urban areas, it is the filth, debris, and stagnant water on the roads and streets that breeds dengue and its larvae, said Arora. Therefore not only the Health Department, but also the Local Bodies Department, Rural Development and Panchayat Department, Public Works Department along with other concerned departments and the corrupt system is responsible.On the occasion, Meet Hayer said, “The indiscriminate looting of private hospitals due to poor government health services is reminiscent of the looting during the Covid pandemic, because at that time there was a scramble for beds and oxygen cylinders in hospitals and today there is black-marketing of the SDP (Single Donor Platelet) kits required for dengue and the people are running around for beds; because the government and the health department did not make any further arrangements.”Hayer said that he had asked the Health Minister to carry out comprehensive reforms in government health services on the lines of the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi and get fogging done on a war footing to kill dengue and larvae in cities and villages. Apart from this, he also demanded the launch of awareness campaigns like the Kejriwal government to create awareness among the people. Meet Hayer also demanded that the government should fix a fair price for beds, SDP kits and laboratory tests for private hospitals and make the people aware about it.