Gujarat govt cut health expenditure, state suffering now: Patel

With Gujarat reporting an average 400 new coronavirus cases every day since the last one month,senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Tuesday accused the BJP government in the state of "drastically reducing" its healthcare expenditure over years.

In a tweet, Patel, a Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, cited data claiming that Gujarat is among the bottom states in terms of immunisation coverage.

"In 20 years, Gujarat is one of the handful of states where immunisation coverage has declined. Before 2000, Gujarat was spending 4.3 per cent of its expenditure on healthcare, in 2018 it was roughly 0.72 per cent. The entire state is paying

a price for a flawed model," Patel tweeted on Tuesday. The data claims that Gujarat ranks 33rd out of total 36 states and UTs in achieving full immunisation.

Patel had questioned the COVID-19 testing charges of private laboratories. In a tweet, he had asked why Ahmedabad-based private laboratories are charging Rs 4,500 when the same is Rs 2,200 in Mumbai.

As of June 15, the number of COVID-19 cases in Gujarat stood at 24,104 and the death toll 1,506. Raising the issue in a press conference on Tuesday, Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda accused the BJP government of being a mute spectator to "looting" of people in name of testing.

"Why Gujarat's mortality rate is highest in the country? Why Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not tweeting when people of his state are dying in such a large number? It was the high court that stepped in and allowed coronavirus testing in private laboratories," said Chavda.

He said it was the state government's responsibility to ensure that rates of tests remain affordable for people. "If charges (for tests) are Rs 2,200 and Rs 2,900 in Mumbai and Andhra Pradesh, respectively, why Gujarat labs are charging Rs 4,500? People are being fleeced and the government remains only a mute spectator to this loot," alleged Chavda.