Covid-19: Left parties seek better health infrastructure, more tests per day in Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: Members of the CPI and CPM on Saturday staged protests in Coimbatore district demanding that the Tamil Nadu government improve the quality of government hospitals, which is essential during the Covid-19 pandemic.
They also demanded that the state provide special assistance fund for people who have lost their livelihoods due to the pandemic.
Representatives of the Left parties held demonstrations at their head offices and also at their area offices.
N Chandran, secretary of the CPI at PN Pudur, said the state should improve its health infrastructure. “We also seek that the state act on private hospitals which have been collecting exorbitant fee for Covid-19 treatment,” he said.
The CPM held its district executive meeting on Saturday where representatives decided that they would hold protests at Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital and ESI Hospital on Tuesday.
They alleged that Covid-19 patients were facing several hardships due to poor facilities in these hospitals.
They demanded that Covid-19 test results be declared quickly. More people faced the risk of getting infected due to the delay in declaring test results.
They said the state should ensure more number of ambulances to take patients who have tested positive to hospitals.
Coimbatore MP P R Natarajan of the CPM on Saturday demanded that the state focus more on combating Covid-19 in Coimbatore and Tirupur, as these districts have more MSMEs and guest workers were returning.
“Also, due to change in weather cases of fever and cold have increased. District administration and health department have failed in controlling Covid-19 spread. The number of tests per day should be increased, test results should be declared quickly in government facilities and people in all areas should be given immunity boosters,” he said.