Shri Provash Ghosh, General Secretary, SUCI(C), has issued the following statement today : —
Pathetic death of 70 kids over the course of 5 days at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College hospital in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, allegedly in absence of oxygen support lays bare the with all virulence the mutilated face of government healthcare system in the rule of the BJP. It is feared that the death toll might increase. The hospital which is located in the assembly constituency of the BJP chief minister of UP mainly for treating encephalitis patients and the Chief minister went even a week back to inaugurate a ten bed ICU, a six-bed critical care unit and even visited the ward where the victim children infected with encephalitis were admitted. When the pliant media was trumpeting his visit as a mark of his concern for people’s health, the victim children were staring death reportedly because the hospital ran short of oxygen cylinders since it did not settle pending bills to the gas supply agency—a fact that makes every sensitive right-thinking person wonder if there is any civilized government is in place, either in the state or at the centre. This tragic incident once again shows that while the BJP and its governments are so keen to save cows, they have no concern for the life of the common people including children.
While sharing the irreparable loss to the bereaved families, we demand adequate compensation to all of them and also demand stringent punishment to all those guilty of this horrendous crime.
