Mumbai, March 18 (NationPress) The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray has taken aim at the BJP-led Mahayuti government, declaring that Maharashtra's public healthcare system is currently on a ‘ventilator’. The party claims that rampant corruption and mismanagement have decimated the healthcare infrastructure, necessitating urgent reforms before the government makes claims of achieving world-class standards.

In a tragic incident, an elderly woman in the western suburb of Bhayander died after a rat bit her hand while she was in the ICU. The editorial in the Thackeray faction's mouthpiece, 'Saamana', highlighted this incident as a stark contradiction: “While the government touts progress, infants are still perishing from malnutrition in tribal regions, and an elderly woman succumbs to a rat bite in a city adjacent to Mumbai. The ICU was situated on the fourth floor, yet somehow a rat reached a patient on a ventilator and gnawed at her hand unnoticed by any staff. The bleeding persisted until her family arrived in the morning and raised the alarm, but it was too late. This horrific occurrence has stripped away any remaining dignity in the governmental healthcare system.”

The response from the hospital administration has been labeled as “ridiculous and shameful” for suggesting that the rat may have entered due to construction at a nearby site. This reasoning raises concerns for other patients currently under their care. Although the administration claimed they had a pest control contract, the editorial argued that this admission highlights an ongoing rat infestation that they failed to manage. There are increasing calls for a criminal case against the hospital administration for their gross negligence.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena stated that this incident has ignited a fiery discussion about public health in Maharashtra, revealing a dual crisis: the presence of rats in hospitals and corruption within the health department. Instead of prioritizing healthcare, authorities seem more focused on the financial health of contractors and suppliers to fill their own pockets.

“While the government boasts about world-class services, the public health budget has been slashed by approximately Rs 5,000 crore. In a nation with a population of 140 crore, there are only about 1.3 to 1.4 million hospital beds available. Public health investment is stagnant at merely 2.5% of the GDP, leading to continued deaths from malnutrition among mothers and children in tribal areas,” remarked the Thackeray faction.

“Just weeks ago, during the state budget announcement, the government made grand claims regarding healthcare facilities. However, a soul-shattering incident in Bhayander has completely undermined these assertions,” concluded the editorial.