Former CM Chandrababu Naidu, Letter To The Chief Secretary

Former CM Chandrababu Naidu wrote a letter to the Chief Secretary of the state, saying- money should be given to the needy for tests: Andhra Pradesh. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) National President and former CM Chandrababu Naidu (NCB) on Sunday expressed concern over COVID-19 in Andhra Pradesh and urged the Chief Secretary of the state to immediately focus on livelihood and health.

Naidu has said in a letter to Chief Secretary Neelam Sahni that the alarming increase in infection should be a warning sign requiring greater efforts and decisive actions with sympathy for people of all classes in the state. In this moment of crisis, there is a need to instill confidence in people by providing effective strategies and solutions.

Only an active role by the government will pave the way for the state to overcome the adverse effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Naidu said in the letter that the government should focus on the twin areas – the health and livelihood of the people. The TDP chief also said that even though Andhra Pradesh is a small state in population. It ranks second in India in COVID cases.

Andhra Pradesh has also overtaken countries like Bangladesh, Spain, Britain, and Argentina at the rate of increase in cases. Naidu said that all the 13 districts of the state have crossed 15,000 cases and Andhra Pradesh ranks fifth in the country in COVID related deaths. “In this backdrop, it is extremely important to secure the health of frontline warriors like doctors, nurses, and other paramedical staff, police, panchayat raj, revenue, and municipal employees.

It is equally essential to provide a safety net. Naidu said that family members of COVID Frontier warriors provide them with health facilities and financial security. “On the one hand, the government calls for RT-PCR tests but falls short of conducting sufficient RT-PCR tests. Recently, on 27 August 2020, the government conducted 22,056 antigen tests.

Antigen tests and 100 in the state Percentages conduct RT-PCR tests. The accuracy of antigen tests has been condemned globally and we must focus on conducting more and more RT-PCR tests to overcome the coronavirus crisis, “he said. Naidu said that there should be standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines for monitoring every patient at home, quarantine or isolation and that oximeters, a kit with essential medicines, needs to be delivered to every positive patient.

Expressing concern over the high COVID treatment costs, Naidu said that especially poor and middle-class people were under heavy stress. “The government should take steps to reduce the high cost. Due to a lack of infrastructure to treat COVID patients in Andhra Pradesh, many of them are going for treatment in neighboring states. The government has paid Rs 3,250 per day. Set the price cap between. And Rs. 10,380 per day for different categories of patients, “he said.

However, Naidu said that some hospitals are in violation of the government order and “charging too much”. He also said that while COVID-19 put people’s health at risk, the lockdown denied them their livelihood and jobs. He said, “Livelihood support of Rs 10,000 per family per month should be given on a retroactive basis. All families with below poverty line (BPL) ration cards should be given allowances for the months of April to November 2020.

The TDP chief also demanded minimum financial assistance of Rs 50 lakh to the family members of the border warriors, adding that in rural areas, ASHA workers are the backbone of the healthcare system and highlighted the misconduct that they face. Chandrababu Naidu also expressed concern over the “lack of sub-standard PPE kits and N95 masks” and said that this serious concern requires intervention from the highest level.

Emphasizing the need for temporary hospitals, Naidu asked the government to involve private players such as hospitals, doctors, pharma companies, etc. in providing all-inclusive treatment for people suffering from COVID. He said that the government should take this COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity and build appropriate health care infrastructure.