Srinagar, June 11: Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA) Monday held Minister of Medical Education, RS Chib responsible for the alarming increase in infant fatalities at GB Pant hospital here and demanded his resignation. The Alliance said that they have already brought the matter into the notice of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
“Chib should take moral responsibility of the infant deaths and resign from the post. As Minister for Medical Education under whose control GB Pant hospital is, we believe he is responsible for the mess and should be held accountable. We want his immediate removal from the cabinet,” Muhammad Yaseen Khan, Chairman, KEA - an amalgam of traders, hoteliers and transporters - said at a press conference here.
“There is no accountability in the state, rampant corruption has marred our crucial healthcare system. Children are dying due to absence of proper healthcare facilities, while state government is acting as a mute spectator,” Khan said adding that “CM should seek resignation of Chib for not being able to deliver his duties properly.”
KEA also demanded that former Medical Superintend of GB Pant Hospital, Dr Javaid Chowdhary should be arrested and given stern punishment for negligence in duty.
“Chowdhary should be arrested for committing genocide, as he is responsible for the deaths of infants in the hospital. As a Medical Superintend he sat over many internal enquiries and did not took any action, which the one-man enquiry commission has also mentioned in its preliminary report,” Khan said.
Khan said we have already written a letter to Sonia Gandhi, President, All India Congress Committee (AICC) about the infant deaths at GB Pant and has sought her intervention in the matter. “We would personally meet her and demand resignation of Chib,” he said.
Siraj Ahmad, Secretary General KEA, said death of infants at GB Pant hospital is ‘human rights violation’. “These infants died due to non-availability of proper healthcare facilities at the hospital,” he said.
“We fail to understand why the state government has not taken any action against the minister for Medical Education, whose ministry deals with the hospital affairs and is directly responsible for the mess in the hospital,” Siraj said.
“Central government is allocating crores of rupees for the health sector in the state, but unfortunately our state government is not properly utilizing the funds. As a result people are suffering,” Siraj said adding central government should step in and conduct a thorough probe to bring to fore what is happening to the funds released by the central government and why these were not been utilized by the state government for the welfare of people.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 11 Jun 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 11 Jun 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 12 Jun 2012 00:00:00 IST