Bhubaneswar: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Kalahandi MP Basanta Panda Monday urged the state government to open more Covid-19 testing facilities in rural areas.
In a video message, Panda said, the people in rural Odisha are bearing the brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic owing to lack of proper testing facilities. People in rural areas succumb to Covid-19 even before they are detected positive for the virus and the government is unable to record such deaths, he said.
Therefore, the government should increase the testing capacity in villages, he demanded.
The Lok Sabha member also requested the government to reopen the temporary medical centres (TMCs), which were functional last year in every panchayat, to accommodate the migrant workers.
The parliamentarian also suggested the government to focus on rural areas. “There is a need for village-centric healthcare facilities now. The government should form Covid crisis management committees at village levels comprising Anganwadi, ASHA, ANM workers and intellectuals to effectively manage the situation,” he further said.
Reacting to this, senior BJD leader Pramila Mallick said, “The government takes prompt measures in rural areas from where reports of cluster infections come in.” Health teams are immediately sent to such areas for testing, tracing and treatment of the infected persons, she added.
The block development officers (BDOs), tehsildars and health officers are working in rural areas and taking adequate measures wherever required, Mallick asserted.
On the reopening of TMCs for migrants, the BJD legislator said arrangements are in place for the people of other states living in Odisha.
“However, Odia people are returning from Gujarat and other states in a state of destitute and hunger following loss of jobs. Had the Modi government and other state governments provided them jobs, shelter and food during the pandemic, they would not have returned to Odisha,” the BJD leader remarked.
PNN