Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

UDF to petition VS on health sector issues

Thiruvananthapuram: The Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) will submit a memorandum to Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan on Thursday seeking his intervention in issues related to the health sector in the wake of the viral fever epidemic.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, UDF convener P.P. Thankachan said the Opposition would highlight five major issues and wait till July 31 for the Government’s response. If there was no response, the UDF would chart out an agitation programme then itself.

He said 651 persons had died of viral fever. Recent studies had shown that 90 per cent of those afflicted with viral fever had chikungunya. The Government became alert only when the UDF called for a hartal. But the Government machinery went back to its old ways of inefficiency a few days later. The situation was still grave and no valid measures had been taken to provide treatment to an estimated 15 lakh afflicted people.

The UDF, in its memorandum, would seek the implementation of the proposed health insurance scheme. The Government should examine the possibility of providing a higher compensation to the kin of those who died of the epidemic. It should at least take steps to release as early as possible the Rs.25,000 compensation it had announced. Nearly 90 per cent of the fever cases were reported to be chikungunya and the Government should take this factor into account. The memorandum would also seek free ration to the affected persons till Onam. The Government had withdrawn the Rs.3 a kg rice scheme in areas where free ration was being distributed. This should be restored as the scheme had a different purpose.

The UDF meeting also congratulated the new President Pratibha Patil and wished her a successful tenure.

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