Telangana: Demand for inclusion of Covid in Aarogyasri grows louder

Hyderabad: The State wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party demanded Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao to include Covid treatment under Aarogyasri Scheme.

Addressing the media here on Thursday, State BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar said that the TRS chief had promised to implement the Ayushman Bharat Scheme (ABS) long back. But, decided to implement it when the BJP had announced a State-wide protest programme to press for the same. However, the ABS will provide relief only to about 26 lakh families in the State. Hence, the Covid should also be covered under the Aarogyasri programme by increasing its current limit of treatment coverage from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for the benefit of more people, he demanded.

The BJP has postponed its protest in the wake of the State government decision to implement the ABS in Telangana. However, it will continue to press for Covid coverage under Aarogyasri and enhancement of coverage, Sanjay added.

He sought to know from the Chief Minister as to why he was hesitant to include Covid treatment under Aarogyasri when he claimed to allocate Rs 2,500 crore for Covid management?

The Karimnagar MP said that BJP has welcomed KCR's visit to the Gandhi Hospital. He, however, added that the visit to Gandhi Hospital was a publicity stunt, as the Chief Minister had failed to take stock of the problems faced by the patients, doctors, resident doctors and others. "Half of the ventilators in the hospital are not working due to lack of technicians. A file relating to the enhancement of 15 per cent stipend for the resident doctors has been pending with the Finance department. The PG students 10 per cent enhanced stipend is not rolled out despite issuing a GO. The Chief Minister has no time to listen to the woes of the senior doctors, junior doctors, contract employees, who are demanding ex gratia for the families of the doctors who have died in the line of their duties. Then, what the Chief Minister has done visiting the hospital?" he questioned. Sanjay said that lack of staff at MGM left the family members of the Covid patients to attend on them which was in utter violation of the Covid norms.

Similarly, he also demanded the Chief Minister to provide subsidy on seeds and ensure the procurement of paddy immediately. "I hope CM KCR will not give us an opportunity to launch an agitation to press for the same," he said.