What is the main reason behind TS Govt Conducting Less Covid Tests?

Yet again the High Court of Telangana has pulled up Telangana Rastra Samiti (TRS) government for its indiscriminate attitude towards handling Covid-19 pandemic in the state. Right from May, Telangana High Court has been receiving public interest ligations (PIL) from various people about the mismanagement of Covid-19 by state's health and medical department.

Yesterday, the High Court directed the state government to file a report on the reasons behind conducting lesser number of Covid-19 confirmation tests in the state.

Hearing a batch of PIL petitions relating to the Covid pandemic, a High Court Bench of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy instructed the authorities to explain the steps being taken to enhance beds with oxygen facilities in different hospitals in the state.

This is not new to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao-led government. They have faced severe criticism from the top court in the state, but looks like they have not mend their ways and the mismanagement continues. Apart from the court, state Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan has also commented on the state's failure to handle Covid-19 situation efficiently!

The government was unable to adhere to the assurances and statements given by it on Covid-19 diagnostic tests, the Bench said. It noted that there were media reports galore on scarcity of beds with oxygen facility and lesser number of tests.

Maharashtra was conducting 1.5 lakh tests on an average every day. Though the situation is not that severe in Telangana the need to enhance tests in the state cannot be ignored. Not even 40,000 tests were being conducted in the state.

The Bench suggested to the state government to ensure that at least three hospital beds were available for every 1,000 persons. It said that five hospital beds should be available for every 1,000 persons as per World Health Organisation (WHO) norms. But in Telangana state, not even a single bed is available on an average for 1,000 population, the Bench observed.

Next hearing on this issue wherein the state will have to submit report on the reasons for conducting less Covid-19 tests is posted for October 8.