Deaths in Maharashtra govt hospitals rock Vidhan Bhavan, opposition says healthcare on ventilator

NAGPUR: The death of a 23-year-old woman within 48 hours of family planning operation in Dhanora tehsil’s remote Gadchiroli district reverberated 150km away in the Maharashtra’s state legislature during the winter session on Tuesday morning.
Opposition parties-led by leaders in both the houses Vijay Wadettiwar and Ambadas Danve, senior Congress leaders Ashok Chavan, Balasheb Thorat and others highlighted the unavailability of basic healthcare facilities and medicines in government-run hospitals.
Sadhana Jarate, a mother of two boys, passed away following tubectomy at primary health centre (PHC) in Karwaafa village on December 8. She was shifted to district general hospital in Gadchiroli after her condition deteriorated on December 10. The family alleged negligence by doctors.
The opposition members brought a black stretcher, oxygen mask and stethoscope to protest the sorry state of affairs in government-run hospitals.
Danve, addressing the media outside the Vidhan Bhavan, said a whopping 436 deaths have taken places in six months in the state-run hospitals. “24 deaths have been reported from Nanded, 24 in Thane Kadwa and 10 in Chhatrapaji Sambhajinagar,” he said.
Danve said the government healthcare is on ventilator and people are left to opt for costly treatment in private hospitals. “The government is not able to save lives, provide quality healthcare, people don’t have money in pocket.The government is promising Rs5lakh free treatment but it is not able to give Rs5 medicine in its hospital. When medicines are not available, government doctors have no choice than to ask relatives to buy medicines from outside,” he said.
Danve said health minister Tanaji Sawant and medical education minister Hasan Mushrif are responsible for these deaths. “We are going to examine the government today and therefore we are holding this protest with stethoscope,” he said.