Ayushman card failed, black marketing of life-saving medicines: Priyanka Gandhi in letter to CM Yogi Adityanth

Priyanka Gandhi said that the war against corona is based on four pillars – test, treat, track and vaccination.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra today wrote to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over COVID-19 management in the state. She also offered suggestions for effectively handling the COVID-19 crisis and helping the people. “It’s a matter of concern that COVID-19 testing in the state is very less compared to the rise in cases. A large number of cases are not being reported. Testing is not being conducted in rural areas. In urban areas, people are facing difficulties in getting tested. They did not get reports for many days,” she claimed.

She said that the war against corona is based on four pillars – test, treat, track and vaccination. “If you will destroy the first pillar, then how will we defeat this deadly virus?” Priyanka Gandhi said in her letter.

She alleged that the second biggest concern is the lack of beds, oxygen, medicines in hospitals and their black marketing. “Ayushman scheme card has failed and no hospital is considering it. People are forced to pay three-four times the price for life-saving medicines like Remedesivir and Oxygen,” she said.

She also questioned the state for not vaccinating enough people in the last five months.

She urged the government to announce a financial package for frontline workers and open all the COVID hospitals which were shut.

Priyanka Gandhi said that the state should increase the number of RT-PCR tests to 80% of the total daily tests. She advised the government to distribute the CORONA kit with the help of Anganwadi and Asha workers. The Congress leader also urged the government to cap the prices of life-saving medicines.

She also wrote in the letter that adequate arrangements should be done for the storage of Oxygen so that a reserve stock is ready in case of emergency.

Priyanka Gandhi also asked the Yogi Adityanath government to provide basic reliefs like exemptions in water bills, electricity bills, local taxes etc to weavers, artisans, small shopkeepers etc.