PESHAWAR: Opposition parties here on Sunday expressed grave concern over the death of six people in Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), Peshawar, due to delay in supply of oxygen cylinders and demanded of health minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra to admit his failure and resign from the cabinet.

Awami National Party workers also held a protest demonstration outside KTH and shouted slogans against the provincial government.

They described the death of six people, mostly Covid-19 patients, as a glaring example of incompetence of the rulers.

ANP provincial president Aimal Wali Khan, meanwhile, said in a statement said that though the government had announced health and education emergency in the province, the KTH incident had proved that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had no plans to fulfil its commitments.

Claims govt not serious about treatment of Covid patients

He said the health minister used to spend most of his time on his publicity via social media and thus he was unable carry out his official duties.

He asked for registration of FIR against the health minister, saying if such a tragic incident could happen in a major hospital of Peshwar then what would be condition of the healthcare centres in suburban parts of the province.

The ANP leader said that Imran Khan used to demand resignations from others in past, but now he was unable to take action against his own ministers.

PML-N provincial spokesman Ikhtiar Wali Khan condemned the incident and said the government was not serious to take practical steps for treatment and recovery of Covid patients, but the disease was used only against opposition and to register FIRs.

He said it was time the health minister should resign at his own otherwise people would force him to step down.

Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Nighat Orakzai also expressed her shock over the death of several coronavirus patients in the hospital and said it was enough proof to unveil the government’s claim to bring ‘change’.

She said that PTI had been in power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the past eight years, but it failed to devise a concrete plan for welfare of patients. She asked the government to provide compensation to families of the deceased persons.

Meanwhile, Dr Akhtar Ali Shah, chairman Good Governance Forum, expressed his sorrow over the death of Covid patients due to negligence of KTH administration.

According to a statement here, he said the death of seven patients in KTH due to shortage of oxygen cylinders was not only a reflection of callousness and criminal negligence, but also of poor management.

He said mere colourful presentations and statements of the health minister were not enough. He said preparedness was one of the key essentials of the disaster and crisis management.

However, the minister was not prepared to manage the crisis.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2020