BJP govt deliberately weakening public healthcare services in UP: SP chief

Lucknow, Jun 18 (PTI) Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of deliberately deteriorating public healthcare services, alleging that the medical colleges and hospitals appear "sick" themselves.

"The BJP government has pushed the health department into such a state that medical colleges and hospitals themselves look diseased," Yadav said in a statement issued here.

He claimed that patients now fear going to government hospitals and are forced to seek treatment at private facilities where they end up paying exorbitant charges.

"This is a deliberate conspiracy by the BJP to ruin public services," the former chief minister alleged.

Highlighting several instances of alleged negligence, Yadav said, "In the capital city Lucknow, under the very nose of the BJP government, major institutions are in a mess." Targeting Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who also holds the health portfolio, Yadav said, "The health minister is busy making empty claims and issuing statements. He has no grasp of the ground reality." Yadav further alleged that the state's medical colleges and hospitals lack the required number of professors, doctors, technical staff, and proper infrastructure.

"There are not enough facilities or resources for MBBS students in medical colleges. These are buildings in the name of medical colleges, but the government is unable to run them effectively," Yadav said. PTI ABN HIG