Bengaluru erupted in political heat on Wednesday as Karnataka BJP President and MLA BY Vijayendra unleashed a scathing attack on the Siddaramaiah-led government, accusing it of massive irregularities in drug procurement that have left government hospitals critically short of essential medicines.
Vijayendra didn’t hold back, pointing fingers directly at the state administration and relevant ministers for the acute shortages plaguing public health facilities and medical colleges. He alleged that procurement processes are being manipulated under the influence of a powerful individual, with contracts doled out to foster corruption. Companies, he claimed, are shying away from tenders due to demands for 15-20% commissions, causing severe supply disruptions.
The BJP leader singled out a private individual from Mangaluru, Wahab Khan, accusing him of controlling the state’s drug purchasing system. This influence, Vijayendra said, has dismantled the system, leaving poor patients in dire straits. He challenged Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao to explain why tenders are allegedly awarded to a single person and why drugs are being bought at three times the market rate.
The accusations didn’t stop there. Vijayendra highlighted the plight of 108 ambulance drivers and helpers who haven’t received salaries for eight to nine months. He urged the government to resolve this immediately, noting that ambulance staff and doctors are being forced into protests due to unaddressed grievances.
Criticizing the government’s handling of the health sector, he pointed out the heavy shortage of medicines in state-run hospitals, compelling impoverished patients to shell out from private pharmacies. He even accused the regime of attempting to shut down Jan Aushadhi centers on government premises due to political animosity towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Further, Vijayendra revealed that a private agency providing CT scan and MRI services is owed 143 crore rupees, depriving poor patients, including pregnant women, of vital diagnostic facilities. He lambasted the government for shielding middlemen while ignoring the suffering of the underprivileged.
In a direct appeal to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM, Vijayendra called for an end to false claims and a focus on real issues. He accused the government of shirking responsibility and blaming the previous BJP regime and the Centre. With Siddaramaiah having presented 16 budgets and surpassing former CM Devaraj Urs’s record, Vijayendra urged him to leverage his experience to tackle the state’s challenges head-on.