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    HomeNewsEconomyPolicyCan’t see the mound of dead bodies: Haryana Minister Anil Vij on COVID-19

    Can’t see the mound of dead bodies: Haryana Minister Anil Vij on COVID-19

    How is the Haryana govt. preparing to cope up with the deteriorating situation? To understand the government’s strategy and programs, Mr. Yatish Rajawat, CEO of Center for Innovation In Public Policy (CIPP), spoke to Mr. Anil Vij, the minister for Home and Health in Haryana Government on behalf of MoneyControl.Com.

    K Yatish Rajawat
    April 20, 2021 / 12:45 IST

    Haryana health minister, Anil Vij claims that the state’s healthcare system is equipped to handle the second wave of COVID-19.

    “We have 11000 isolation beds, 2000 ICU beds and 1000 ventilators. There is no shortage of PPE Kits and masks and we have enough stock of medicines,” he said in an interview with Moneycontrol.

    Haryana has been recording over 7000 COVID-19 cases every day. The number of new infections in the state is fewer than some other states in the country. But what is concerning is that it borders the capital, New Delhi, which has been seeing a record number of new infections daily.

    Gurugram and Faridabad, the two towns adjacent to Delhi, have been recording highest number of cases in Haryana. Hospitals there suspect that 40-50 per cent of the total patients belong to Delhi.

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    “We are doing our best for patients. The government is taking over private hospitals and guest houses, hotels and schools are being converted into makeshift hospitals.”

    To tackle the sharp increase in cases, the Haryana government on Saturday constituted a state-level monitoring committee. The 17-member panel is headed by Health Minister Anil Vij. It also includes the Chief Principal Secretary to the CM, Chief Secretary and the DGP.

    “To track and cater the medical needs of home quarantined patients, we have created an app where all the relevant data is available,” Vij said.

    With Covid cases increasing across Haryana, the state government had announced a night curfew between 10 pm and 5 am from April 12.

    “I may bear the brunt of people’s wrath for being stringent on Corona, but can’t see the mound of dead bodies,” said Vij.

    There was panic among the migrant workers who feared a total lockdown similar to the one imposed last year during the initial days of COVID-19. Vij stressed that factories will not be shut and labourers shouldn’t worry about losing livelihoods. “All the factories are running like before in compliance with the new corona rules. No labour should leave the state,” he said.

    K Yatish Rajawat is a public policy expert and the CEO of Center for Innovation in Public Policy
    first published: Apr 20, 2021 12:45 pm

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