Labour Minister complains to U.P. CM on COVID-19 response

‘Officers not answering phone calls, patients being forced to visit multiple facilities before being admitted to a hospital’

Minister of State with independent charge in the Ministry of Labour and Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar flagged concerns over the COVID-19 response in Uttar Pradesh in a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on May 8. Mr. Gangwar complained about officers not answering phone calls and patients being forced to visit multiple facilities before being admitted to a hospital. Mr. Gangwar, who is the Lok Sabha MP from Bareilly in U.P., participated in a review meeting called by the Chief Minister in Bareilly on May 8, where, sources said, the letter with suggestions and complaints was handed over. In a tweet on Sunday, Mr. Gangwar said the Chief Minister met the elected representatives and officials of Bareilly to review the ongoing second wave of COVID-19 and made suggestions to improve the healthcare provided to residents. In the letter, Mr. Gangwar said vendors were selling essential equipment needed by hospitals like ventilators for higher prices than before. He said the government should fix the prices of these machines.