Telengana Congress asks KCR to inspect hospitals

Hyderabad: Former TPCC President Ponnala Lakshmaiah challenged Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao to undertake a joint inspection of any government hospital in Hyderabad or Gajwel to check the availability of basic infrastructure.

Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan on Thursday, Ponnala alleged that there has been a shocking increase in mortality rate in many government hospitals including Gandhi Hospital and Niloufer Hospital.

He said that instead of admitting lapses and taking corrective steps, Health Minister Lakshma Reddy has been giving statements as if the situation was totally normal in public hospitals.

He said that many hospitals lack basic infrastructure and facilities. Ponnala said that the Chief Minister should agree for a joint inspection if he was so confident about his claims of government hospitals having best facilities.

Meanwhile, Congress senior leader Marri Sashidhar Reddy accused the Health Minister of shielding the doctors and staff who were responsible for the death of a six-year-old girl, Sai Pravalika, in Gandhi Hospital.

He alleged that the girl was administered with a contaminated saline. He demanded independent probe into the incident and also asked the government to pay adequate compensation to the girl's family.