BJP MLAs in Odisha demand use of Local Area Development fund for health infrastructure

Under the existing guidelines, MLAs are allowed to spend Rs 50 lakh from their LAD fund for distribution of masks in their constituencies.
BJP Flags (Photo | PTI)
BJP Flags (Photo | PTI)

BHUBANESWAR: Concerned over the alarming rise in Covid-19 cases in rural areas and speculations of a possible third wave likely to impact the children more, the BJP legislators on Wednesday urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for a flexible Covid guideline to use more money from the Local Area Development (LAD) fund of MLAs for strengthening healthcare infrastructure.

In a memorandum to the Chief Minister and Speaker SN Patro, 10 BJP MLAs said the State government has started preparation to combat a possible third wave of the pandemic, which, experts anticipated may affect most to the children.

The government was seen seriously lacking in the first and second phase of the pandemic in creating facilities at primary and secondary healthcare level for treatment of Covid patients.

The health infrastructure in PHCs, CHCs and sub-divisional hospitals (SDHs) is far from the desired level to handle the third wave when the probability of coronavirus becoming more virulent is high, they said.

“It is in this context we the BJP legislators request the government and the Speaker of the Assembly to consider our demand for bringing necessary amendments in the Covid guidelines to allow us to use the MLALAD fund for developing health infrastructure in rural areas for providing better health services to the people in a sustainable manner,” the memorandum said.

The MLAs also requested the government to give them greater degree of freedom for use of the fund towards opening more isolation centres, special Covid care rooms for children, upgrading beds in the hospitals with oxygen and ventilator facility, providing ventilator ambulance to rural hospitals and purchase of medical equipment and kits, and setting up oxygen plants at SDHs and CHCs.

Under the existing guidelines, MLAs are allowed to spend Rs 50 lakh from their LAD fund for distribution of masks in their constituencies.

Earlier, six BJP MLAs had also given a memorandum to the Chief Minister requesting to strengthen infrastructure of sub-centres, PHCs and CHCs in rural areas, set up at least 20 beds in each CHC and appointment of doctors and other paramedic staff wherever there are vacancies.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com