SHILLONG: The slanging match over Covid management between the ruling MDA and the Opposition Congress refuses to die down as in its latest salvo the Meghalaya Congress asked the Government to pull up its socks and plug the lacunae.
First round of exchange was between Congress General Secretary Zenith Sangma and Deputy CM Prestone Tynsong. After the former criticised the government for not making public the names of the Covid infected persons, Tynsong responded sarcastically that if Zenith didn’t know it, he should consult his doctor elder brother Mukul Sangma.
After a gap of few days, when Zenith Sangma again raised his voice against the lapses of the government in handling Covid pandemic, Health Minister A.L.Hek retorted that the Congress would have known where the shoe pinches only if they were in the shoes of the ruling conglomerate.
Continuing with the slugfest, Congress spokesperson HM Shangpliang said on Saturday made a pointed reference to many cases of medical neglect and stigmatisation. “We would like to work together with the government and I don’t want to blame them but issues are there and we want the health department to look deeper into it and look how they can rectify (the lapses),” he said.
Recalling that a pregnant woman was recently denied treatment, Umpling residents also faced the same treatment in private hospitals and a patient was allegedly denied 108 ambulances services resulting in death due to the delay, Shangpliang said added that there is some problem somewhere which needs to be rectified.
“The Health department needs to pull up their socks even though they are hard-pressed due to the situation,” he said
Stressing that people coming from containment zone should not be seen as COVID, Shangpliang said that hospitals should be ready and prepared especially during this time
Making an appeal to the Health Minister to look into the matter, Shangpliang said, “People are living in fear and panic. We need to give them confidence and courage”.
Shullai slams
Health Minister
Meanwhile, in a surprise development the BJP MLA from South Shillong, Sanbor Shullai slammed his party colleague and Health Minister, AL Hek, for what he called, failing to perform as the Health Minister in dealing with the COVID-19 situation in State.
Talking to media persons on Saturday while he visited Maxwelton Estate near Oxford Hill in Kench’s Trace, to provide relief to residents of the area, which was declared as one of the containment areas, a peeved Shullai said that the Health Minister and officials of his department were busy in visiting many areas, except any part of his constituency.
Asking his colleague in the saffron party to be more serious while ensuring that the health department takes pro-active steps in containing COVID-19, the legislator from South Shillong said Hek along his medical team should have visited the localities within the Shillong agglomeration which have been declared as containment areas.
“I have not seen the Minister holding a meeting with the members of the local Dorbar Shnong to discuss the setting up of testing centres for the random testing. The people should be properly brief about the random testing. It is really unfortunate that the random testing in Jhalupara and Mawbah areas only started after reports in the media,” Shullai stated.
He said that the department should have put a team of experts to oversee the random testing exercise which is being carried out in the containment areas.
Refusing to blame the whole NPP led MDA Government in dealing with this given situation, he trained his gun at the health department for mishandling the current situation.
Citing an example, Shullai said that the department should have arranged a 108 ambulance to shift the positive patient to the quarantine centre but he was shocked to learn that the positive patient was asked to go to the quarantine care centre on foot.