Former Tripura health minister Sudip Roy Barman has raised series of allegations against the state health department on Friday.
Addressing the media on Friday evening at Agartala Press Club, Barman said that if the present COVID-19 situation continues in the state, then he fears that over 650 people will die in Agartala itself by December.
“The COVID-19 graph in the state is on the rise. From April to July, on an average, 122 people were affected in COVID-19 in Tripura,” he informed.
“But August alone, a total of 7168 people tested positive for the infection,” he added.
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“What has been more dangerous is that in the last seven days, the average per day patients in Tripura rose to 485, which has further risen to 568 in the last two days,” he said.
“Moreover, the positivity rate in Agartala is 21 per cent- which is three times higher than the national average,” the former minister added.
“There are SOPs but there a lot of lacunae as there is nobody to check all the things,” he further said.
He also alleged that senior doctors of GBP Hospital are not willing to treat COVID-19 patients and said that only the junior doctors and the medical students are serving the patients.
In the absence of a shortage of doctors and auxiliary health staff, the services of existing staff should be utilized in the best possible manner, he said.
“The CT scan machine, the X-Ray machine and even portable x-ray machines are not working in GBP and the government is not aware of it,” he further alleged.
“The entire process of treatment is being carried out based on assumptions. Strangely, no staff is available when an ambulance arrives in front of the hospital and in certain cases patients have died inside the ambulances,” he said.
He also accused the authority of suppressing data on death as records kept in Battala crematorium show that twelve more people have died then what is being officially shown.
He also said that the authorities in-charge of disposing bodies of COVID-19 patients were cremating all bodies indiscriminately even though Christians, Muslims and the Nath community among Hindus bury their dead bodies.
“What is painful is that Hindus preserve and subsequently dispose of the bone remains of dead bodies after cremation but these are not being given them,” the minister said.
He also slammed the GBP Hospital management for the body of a woman was found rotting three days after her death.
“Where is the system? What has to be done after one dies? Is not there any such rule? Who will attend these loopholes? Huge coordination gap is existing and no proper system has been implemented till now,” he said.
“Even now there are 230 patients in GBP hospital and 41 of them are lying on the ground,” he alleged.
“Even the ICU is not safe as there is a problem of oxygen supply. The telemedicine department is off, there is video-conferencing for treatment and relatives cannot keep in touch with patients. There is an urgent need for a multi-seat call centre also,” he further said.
He urged upon all to exercise utmost restraint and follow all norms including social distancing.