Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday requested Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to lead the fight against Covid from the front and take immediate measures to establish mini Covid Care Centres, accelerate the vaccination process, re-employ medical staff and put a cap on treatment charges at private hospitals, besides waiving off power bills for six months, to save the lives of and give relief to people.
Addressing a press conference, the SAD president said it was the need of the hour to establish mini Covid centres with level one and two facilities in all blocks of the state. He said people need access to basic care and oxygen after being infected by the coronavirus and the mini centres could give them immediate relief. He said the SGPC had already taken an initiative in this regard and the government could replicate this model across the state. He also said the SAD was ready to provide ‘langar’ service at the Covid centres opened by the government.
Sukhbir Badal further said that the government should accelerate vaccinations and ensure the entire state is vaccinated in the next three months. He said 500 teams could be formed to cover all 12,000 villages and that the government should augment its vaccine supply by going in for global tenders.
The SAD president also appealed to the government to re-employ all doctors and paramedical staff who had superannuated in the last one year for an additional year. Similarly, interns and nursing students should be hired to fill in crucial gaps and ensure there is no shortage of manpower, he suggested.
He also called for putting a cap on the treatment charges at private hospitals. He called for the Punjab government to subsidise Covid treatment and stopping the black marketing of medicines immediately.
Stating that the common man has faced a lot of hardship due to the pandemic, Badal also suggested that the government waive off electricity and water bills for a six-month period and provide financial relief to taxi drivers, rickshaw pullers, small shopkeepers and labourers.