Slamming the Punjab government over its inability to contain the dengue virus, Pakistan Muslim League-Likeminded’s (PML-L) provincial information secretary Mian Muhammad Asif demanded a judicial inquiry, under a Supreme Court judge, into around 300 deaths in the province caused by the virus.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, Asif called for registering first information reports (FIRs) of these deaths under the anti-terrorism act.
Currently, around 25,000 dengue patients are admitted at private and public hospitals of the Punjab, he was quoted as saying.
Why has the Punjab Chief Minister, known to suspend public servants over minor issues, not suspended or fixed responsibility so far over the deaths of dengue patients, Asif asked rhetorically.
The Punjab government has spent Rs2.5 billion so far under the umbrella of dengue campaign but has not compensated a single casualty of the virus, Asif said, adding that the government should pay Rs500,000 to the relatives of dengue victims as compensation. Asif also criticised the spray campaign, calling it an ‘eyewash.’
Published in The Express Tribune, October 12th, 2011.
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give shahbaz Sharif some credit on this matter, if it wasn't for him the death toll would've been much higher, Punjab govt was taken off guard, its true they should havr been prepared well before. even developed countries struggle with dengue. my advice to raja riaz and babar awan is rather then criticizing the govt why don't you guys visit the helpless in hospitals
Punjab govt cannot walk and chew gum at the same time. Too bad that they cannot blame it on the Fed govt and corruption. It only proves what is going to happen if Sharif rule all of Pakistan? There may be deaths in other countries but in Pakistan they mushroomed in Punjab. Failute to plan is planning for failure. Apart from the deaths nobody is talking about the terrible longterm health effects on the surviver of the disease. How much life this virus has sucked out of their lives?
The failure lies not in containing the virus but in failing to adopt a pro-active approach. They shouldve started spraying months before the beginning of the mosquito season. Besides, the tests recommended in the newspapers are irrelevant to Dengue diagnosis.
Punjab Government has reacted a little late in this issue.
Good Dude Paying Rs. 500,000/- to Dengue affected deaths..... so that their family can buy new son/daughter/father/mother?