Vijayendra slams Cong govt over alleged medicine shortage, irregularities in health dept
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra on Wednesday hit out at the Congress government over alleged medicine shortages, large-scale irregularities and disruption of services in the health department.
The situation had deteriorated to such an extent that doctors were forced to protest on the streets, he claimed.
Addressing a press conference here, he said the Siddaramaiah-led government lacked the will to resolve pressing public issues and accused it of indulging in "blame politics" instead of governance.
"Due to the irresponsibility of this Congress government, the health department itself is in the ICU. There is a severe shortage of medicines in government hospitals. The 108 ambulance services are facing severe problems. Doctors have been pushed to the streets to protest. The Congress government celebrates 1,000 days in power with achievement conventions, but it has failed to solve real problems," he said.
He criticised the state government for allegedly shutting down Jan Aushadhi centres located on government hospital premises, claiming that needy patients are suffering as they are not getting medicines.
"For the past two months, government doctors themselves have been advising poor patients to buy medicines from private pharmacies because medicines are unavailable in hospitals," he alleged.
Vijayendra further alleged that the state government has reportedly not cleared Rs 143 crore in dues to institutions providing CT scan and MRI services.
"As a result, needy patients in rural and urban areas are unable to access these services. Pregnant women are facing hardships. Doctors are forced to protest on the streets...This government claims to be one that delivers on its promises. But does it have even the slightest concern for how poor people are struggling in the healthcare sector," he alleged.
The BJP state president claimed that the Congress government under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and its deputy D K Shivakumar is not pro-poor; instead, it is a government that supports middlemen.
"Who is responsible for the medicine shortage in government hospitals and medical colleges? The state government and the concerned ministers are responsible. According to information available to me, under pressure from influential individuals, irregularities are taking place in medicine procurement. Instead of purchasing medicines through authorised central and state agencies, the government has moved to fragmented district- and taluk-level tenders," he claimed.
He further alleged that due to commission demands of 15-20 per cent, many companies and public enterprises are not participating in tenders, worsening the system.
Vijayendra claimed that the Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation's procurement system has been sidelined, leading to an artificial shortage of medicines.
He also alleged that a private individual from Mangaluru is controlling the state's medicine procurement system, supplying medicines to most government hospitals.
"This has led to market prices being inflated. Medicines costing Rs 100 are reportedly being purchased for Rs 300. I will provide more documents and evidence in the coming days," he claimed.
He also alleged that staff associated with the 108 ambulance services have not been paid salaries for the past eight to nine months.
"The government must take responsibility and reform the system instead of protecting middlemen," he added.
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PM Modi receives red carpet welcome as he begins 2-day visit to Israel
Jerusalem (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday to a red-carpet welcome with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and wife Sara receiving the Indian leader at the Ben Gurion airport.
It is PM Modi's second visit to Israel in nine years. The India-Israel relationship was elevated to the level of strategic partnership during his first visit to that country in July 2017.
Netanyahu greeted the Indian prime minister with a warm hug, following which Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the airport, located 20 kilometres southeast of Tel Aviv.
The Indian prime minister will address Israel's parliament later in the day and will have a tete-a-tete with Netanyahu. The two leaders will hold wide-ranging talks on Thursday.
In his pre-departure statement, Modi said he was confident that the visit will further consolidate the enduring bonds between India and Israel and set new goals for the strategic partnership.
"India and Israel share a robust and multifaceted strategic partnership that has witnessed remarkable growth and dynamism in recent years," Modi said.
"I look forward to my discussions with Prime Minister Netanyahu aimed at further strengthening our cooperation across various domains, including science and technology, innovation, agriculture, water management, defence and security, trade and investment, as well as people-to-people ties," he said.
Modi said he and Netanyahu will also exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
"I am confident that my State Visit will further consolidate the enduring bonds between the two countries, set new goals for the strategic partnership, and advance our shared vision for a resilient, innovative and prosperous future," Modi said.
The prime minister's visit assumed greater significance as it is taking place amid the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, including deteriorating ties between the US and Iran.
There has been an upswing in India-Israel ties in the last few years, including in the areas of defence, scientific research, cybersecurity and innovation.
The defence cooperation has emerged as an important pillar of the partnership between the two sides, with Israel supplying a plethora of military platforms and weapon systems to India.
In November last, during the visit of India's defence secretary to Israel, an important agreement on defence cooperation was signed.
As India is looking at developing an indigenous air defence shield called "Sudarshan Chakra", it is learnt that New Delhi would like to explore the possibility of incorporating certain elements from Israel's Iron Dome all-weather air defence system that can intercept and destroy missiles and artillery shells.
The trade and investment ties between the two sides are also witnessing steady progress.
During the visit to Israel of Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal in November, the term of reference (ToR) for the launch of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between India and Israel was signed.
In September, the two sides had inked a Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA) to expand economic cooperation.
The people-to-people ties between the two countries are also an important aspect of the overall relations, with over 41,000-strong Indian diaspora playing a key role in the two-way engagement.
