Union minister Santosh Gangwar has complained to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath about the Covid-19 management in Bareilly, saying officials don’t take calls and government health centres send back patients for “referrals” from the district hospital.

In a letter to the CM of the BJP-run state, the Union labour minister has also complained about the “big shortage” of empty oxygen cylinders and the high prices of medical equipment in his Lok Sabha constituency.

The letter was handed over to Adityanath during his visit to Bareilly on Saturday.

“There are cases in which the patient despite taking a referral and going to the government hospital is asked to go back to the district hospital and get the referral done again,” the Union minister said.

“Due to this, the condition of the patient is deteriorating and this is a matter of concern. In this scenario, it is very necessary that the Covid-19 patients are immediately admitted to the referral hospitals in the least possible time,” Gangwar wrote.

The Union minister complained that various equipment such as multipara monitors and ventilators are being sold in the market at 1.5 times than the original price. He urged the government to fix prices of the equipment.

Gangwar also requested that arrangements should be made so that Covid-19 patients could be admitted to private hospitals, which should be given facilities similar to Covid hospitals. The Union minister complained that some prominent officials related to the medical field do not take phone calls, causing inconvenience to patients.

He also said there is a shortage of empty oxygen cylinders in Bareilly. The main reason for this is that many people in the city have kept oxygen cylinders in their homes as a precautionary measure and these are being sold at high rates, he said.

The administration should identify such persons and initiate action against them, the minister added.

The Union minister said 50 per cent discount should be given in the purchase of medical equipment on the lines of Madhya Pradesh. He also demanded setting up of an oxygen plant to meet the shortage of the life-saving gas. PTI