NPF accusing Nagaland government of failing to improve healthcare facilities

Dimapur, May 25 (EMN): The Naga People’s Front (NPF) legislature party on Wednesday criticised the People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) government, accusing it of mishandling Covid patients during the initial period and failing to improve healthcare facilities in the state.

“It is accepted fact that this pandemic has caught us all by surprise and that the absence of an effective drug to tackle the virus has aggravated the grim situation nevertheless this should not be the excuse for the failure of the government to protect its citizens,” read the communique issued by NPF legislature party spokesperson Imkong L Imchen.

It claimed that the designated Covid hospitals in Dimapur are facing acute shortage of oxygen beds and ICUs with ventilators and that “patients with severe symptoms have to remain in queue and wait for misfortune of another to have access to ICUs and ventilators”.

“While the State government portrays a hunky-dory picture of the State’s healthcare system, the reality on the ground remains grim and pathetic. The funds raised and received in the name of Covid should be utilised to its optimum and the government needs to step up and take stock of the reality before the eminent third wave hits our State and we continue to remain clueless and directionless,” it stated.

While accusing the government of maintaining “secrecy on matters of money”, the party said that as if pro rata cut of 15% from non development fund of 2020-2021 wasn’t enough, the “PDA has decided to increase the cut to 20% in the year 2021-2022”.

“There have been announcements of one or the other about major healthcare infrastructure development in the State however the seriousness of the government can be grasped by the snail pace progress of it,” the party stated.

It went on to state that encouraging the usage of remdesivir drug “as treatment protocol to Covid patients would be disastrous” for small states like Nagaland that has poor healthcare facilities, while questing its efficacy in treating the disease.