While some well known non governmental organizations like “Athrout” and “ volunteery medical society (VMS)” are reaching out to the families of low income groups with the offers of treatment to covid patients and ration facility the government has left them to fend for themselves during this year’s continuing lockdown phase. Unfortunately the government does not even think about identifying the families presently reeling under economic crisis amid unprecedented covid lockdown at least to take care of the covid patients of such families and their free accessibility to ration in both Kashmir valley and Jammu division. Before thinking about their accessibility to ration better it would have been for government to think about the plight of the covid patients of the families of such low income groups as many patients of such families are still battling for life in the government run hospitals. Ironically the most of the covid patients of low income groups have died in hospitals due to the non availability of oxygen beds and ventilators even at the main referral hospitals in the twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu. Only few days back a man from a village of central Kashmir’s Budgam district died at SKIMS Medical College Hospital Bemina due to non availability of an oxygen bed at the hospital. Imagine if this could be the fate of covid patients of low income groups at the main referral hospitals in Srinagar the summer capital, what could be the fate of covid patients of the families of low income groups at the tertiary hospitals in both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division .
Since covid treatment facility is more crucial than the ration facility to families of such low income groups presently reeling under stress due to increasing cash crunch the government could have asked the field staff of the revenue and health departments to identify families of low income groups for the purposes of the treatment to both covid and non patients of such families in their areas of jurisdiction .
Without identifying the families of low income groups for the purposes of health facilities to their covid and non covid patients amid ongoing stickiest phase of lockdown the government can’t reach out to them . In this hour of crisis fortunately two well known non governmental organisations “ Athrout” and “ Volunteery medical society” are reaching out to the people of low income groups with the offer of free medical treatment and free ration to them. Governmental could have at least reached out to the families of such low income groups with the offer of treatment to their covid patients and free ration facility to them but most of them are even denied the right to ration due to their exclusion in the list of BPL (Below Poverty Line) families despite finding them eligible for inclusion in the list of BPL category. Since covid treatment facility is more crucial than the ration facility to families of such low income groups presently reeling under stress due to increasing cash crunch the government could have asked the field staff of the revenue and health departments to identify families of low income groups for the purposes of the treatment to both covid and non patients of such families in their areas of jurisdiction .
