Two days after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath claimed that the state is prepared to handle the third wave of COVID-19, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra today questioned the government over the claims. Sharing some data, she wondered if the UP government was first making way for the third wave and then plans to fight it. “Only 800 to 1,000 RT-PCR tests are being conducted on the 32 lakh population of Bijnor. The honourable high court has said that 4,000-5,000 RT-PCR tests should be done daily in a district like Bijnor or else we are inviting the third wave. Is the UP government preparing to make way for the third wave and then fight it,” Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

In another tweet, she said that had it not been for the arrogance of the government in Lucknow, it would have liked to see the reality of COVID-19 in the Indara rural area just 35 km from the state capital. She shared a news video claiming complete absence of any facility for testing, treatment and medical kit, but the government says that everything is fit.

https://twitter.com/priyankagandhi/status/1394506902172684289

Notably, the Allahabad High Court has made some strong observations on the status of medical facilities available in the rural areas of Uttar Pradesh. It said that the medical facilities in the state appear ‘Ram Bharose’ or at the mercy of God. It asked the Uttar Pradesh government to improve healthcare facilities across the districts and villages.

The Allahabad High Court asked the government to provide B and C-Grade cities with at least 20 ambulances; every village two ambulances with Intensive Care Unit facilities; oxygen facilities at all nursing home beds; an oxygen plant at nursing homes with more than 30 beds; and more ICU beds at all nursing homes and hospitals. It also asked the state government to increase testing, and warned that if the right steps were not taken, the third wave will be imminent.

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