The ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP have set up separate helplines and control rooms to help Covid patients, the parties adopting damage control measures after facing severe criticism for inaction during the ongoing second wave of the pandemic.
Congress spokesperson Alok Dubey said the party had rolled out two numbers —9798563777 & 7667357882_ to function as Covid helplines. “Depending on the cases and requests, we shall connect patients with our panel of doctors for assistance. On Day One, we received over a dozen cases,” he said, adding that they were also working out modalities to extend services like helping the needy get hospital beds, oxygen cylinders, medicines etc.
“In this hour of crisis, the party will do all that is possible to reduce problems faced by the public. Our volunteers will work in coordination with the district administrations to help as much as possible,” he said.
BJP set up a 24X7 helpline (8102925807) in Ranchi and issued numbers of four doctors—Dr Tushar Arya (9334152192), Dr Mahesh (9431628295), Dr Ramji Prasad (9576127347) and Dr Sunil Agarwal (9937460669) for free consultations.
State party president Deepak Prakash said, “Through the helpline, we will try to provide details of availability of beds, oxygen and medicines. If anyone is in need of medicines or and other essentials, our volunteers will send them.”
Accusing the state government of failing to effectively manage the Covid pandemic, Prakash alleged the entire system had collapsed. “People are dying because the entire government machinery and system has collapsed in Jharkhand. Forget timely hospitalisation, people aren’t even getting emergency medicines due to black marketing. The dead are being denied respectable last rites due to mismanagement at cremation sites,” he claimed.
Both the Congress and BJP said they would set up similar helplines and control rooms in districts.
The recent surge of cases coupled with high mortality rate has led to public uproar in Ranchi and other hotspot districts like East Singbhum,Hazaribagh and Dhanbad. The state government as well as political parties have been facing a severe backlash on social media.
