Odisha Television: Bhubaneswar:
Thursday, 13 August 2020.
How much
money COVID hospitals are charging from Odisha government per patient? Do
people of Odisha have no right to know? Why can’t the government be more
transparent? Several such questions are now being raised with many demanding
the government to come out with the ‘COVID management truth’.
Though
allegations of corruption in the procurement of PPE kits, masks, sanitisers
have surfaced at regular intervals in the past couple of months, the
government’s response seems to have been inadequate as the demand for making
all relevant data public has grown.
Recently,
Odisha State Medical Corporation refused to furnish details sought through an
RTI query in May stating that due to the emergency situation arising out of the
COVID-19 pandemic, it needs additional time to furnish the requisite
information. The corporation had then sought 30 days’ time to submit the
details. However, around three months have already passed, but the corporation
is yet to respond.
Such
procrastination has led to further questions as to whether the corporation is
busy due to the COVID situation or it is operating under the whims of some
influential people and trying hard not to let the cat out of the bag.
“Why is
the Odisha government adopting double standards? It is speaking about
transparency, but not sharing details of the expenditures. The State government
is making claims of successfully managing the COVID-19 situation, but in
reality, massive mismanagement is going on,” said RTI activist, Pradeeep
Pradhan.
“Those
who are raising voices against the mismanagement are getting booked. What type
of COVID management is the government doing?” he further said.
It’s the
right of the people to know how much money is being spent in each district of
the State towards COVID management, said another RTI activist, Sapan Das
adding, “It’s saddening that even after seeking details through an RTI query,
we are not getting any information.”
There
are also allegations that the Health & Family Welfare Department is also
not providing details related to COVID-19 management in the State.
As per
the agreement of the State government with the private hospitals, the former is
paying an initial advance of about 50 per cent of estimated rental charges for
three months. However, the government is not revealing as to how much money the
private COVID hospitals have been given.
“The
State government is just diverting the main issue. Had the government managed
COVID properly, we would have been in a better situation,” said social
activist, Pragyan Parmita Mohanty.
It is
worth mentioning that the RTI cell in the Loka Seva Bhawan has also been shut
down (for the time being). Several departments of the Odisha government are
also not responding to RTI queries.
No
comments have been received from the government on the matter.
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