Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday accused the BJP government of ruining the state’s public health system and claimed that it was now “on a ventilator”.
Addressing a press conference at the party’s state headquarters, Yadav released a booklet titled ‘Samajwadi Audit: Health Department on Ventilator’. He alleged that patients admitted to government hospitals were often treated for the wrong ailments, leading to “deaths due to negligence”.
“The health department itself needs treatment. Government hospitals have 41% of posts vacant. There are 6,000 vacant posts for doctors and 24,000 for nursing and paramedical staff,” Yadav claimed.
“Gorakhpur AIIMS has 604 vacant doctor posts and Rae Bareli AIIMS around 600, even though land for both institutions was allotted during the previous Samajwadi Party government. The BJP government is unable to run them,” he added.
Yadav also claimed that UP has only one doctor for every 16,000 people. He said the number of primary health centres had declined, with 70 fewer centres in Gorakhpur alone, the home district of chief minister Yogi Adityanath. Similar shortages exist in Agra, Prayagraj and other districts, he said.
Citing cases of medical negligence, the SP chief said Lucknow topped the list of deaths caused by alleged carelessness, followed by Saharanpur and Gorakhpur. According to the booklet, reports of maternal and infant deaths allegedly caused by negligence have also come from several districts, including Agra, Mathura, Mainpuri, Aligarh, Etah, Amethi, Barabanki, Azamgarh and Ballia.
He also pointed to shortages of medical supplies and a growing shift from government to private hospitals in districts such as Sitapur, Pilibhit, Kaushambi, Basti and Ayodhya.
Yadav said the Samajwadi Party’s election manifesto would prioritise healthcare. “We want that no card should be demanded from the poor in hospitals. Treatment for the poor must be free. When the SP government returns, no card will be asked for and treatment will be free,” he said.
Yadav also claimed that the cancer institute built by the SP government in Lucknow was later renamed after a BJP leader but was not providing proper care.
Yadav claimed that the BJP had manipulated voter lists in Bengal and warned UP voters that a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and a new voter list could be used again before the elections. “People must remain alert against their conspiracy,” he said.
The SP chief also criticised the government’s handling of Raksha Bandhan, alleging that women were left stranded despite promises of free bus travel. “The government kept lying while people wandered,” he said.
On law and order, Yadav highlighted the murder of Haryana singer Ankit Balyan in Shamli. “Both UP and Haryana have BJP governments. The family is demanding justice,” he said.
He described Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) as a landmark built during the SP regime with world-class facilities.
He blamed the government for rising prices of sugar, petrol, diesel and essential commodities, promising to implement Dr Ram Manohar Lohia’s “price control” policy if the SP returned to power.
“Elections will be announced in four months. Only 100 days remain,” he claimed.
