Centre’s health cards to benefit ‘ATMs’, not accident victims: Wahab

Sindh government spokesman Barrister Murtaza Wahab said on Wednesday that the novel coronavirus is spreading rapidly in Sindh, adding that the rate of positive Covid-19 cases in the province has jumped by 19 per cent during the past 24 hours.

Wahab, who is also the adviser to the chief minister on law and the administrator of Karachi, was addressing a news conference at the provincial assembly. “The rate of Covid-positive cases in Karachi has reached 38 per cent, according to the total number of tests conducted. Citizens should get vaccinated and wear masks. Indoor celebrations will be banned starting January 24.”

He said that due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, pressure on hospitals has also started increasing. He lamented that people have stopped wearing masks and complying with other standard operating procedures (SOPs), which is the reason for local transmission of the virus. He also said the National Command & Operation Centre has made some decisions due to the change in the situation, and suggested that those who have been vaccinated should take a booster shot, for which vaccines are available. He urged people to wear masks and protect one another in public.

Mini-budget

Censuring the federal government, Wahab said the economic situation is deteriorating because of the mini-budget. He said that as soon as the mini-budget was approved, the electricity tariff shot up. After the mini-budget, prices of medicines have increased by 20 per cent, which is a great human tragedy, he added. “People in Sindh and other parts of the country are leading very difficult lives because of inflation, and all of this is due to the incompetence of the federal government.”

He said the Centre does not provide electricity in summer and gas in winter, adding that the prices of medicines, electricity and petrol increased soon after the mini-budget was passed. He pointed out that consumers will end up paying for pharmaceutical companies importing medicines and raw materials.

Wahab said Prime Minister Imran Khan calls himself an environmental champion, even though there are problems of electricity and gas in the entire country, and the people are being exploited.

Health cards

The Sindh government spokesman claimed that the Centre’s purpose of issuing health cards is to reward its “ATMs” and those friends who have their own hospitals, lamenting that the cards will not cover infectious diseases and accidents.

“Citizens want to know what’s the purpose of a health card if it doesn’t cover accidents,” he said. He claimed that Sindh’s treatment facilities are better than other provinces’. “People from other provinces come to Sindh for free and good treatment, which is a proof of our claim.”

More problems

Wahab said taxes on solar panels will further affect the poor, who are already under tremendous pressures. He said the real problems of citizens are being ignored. Compared to Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh has formulated a better and more comprehensive local government law to address public issues.

LG law issue

The Sindh government spokesman said that three of the major political parties of Karachi managed to gather only a few hundred people to hold sit-ins and rallies against the recently passed LG law of Sindh. He said parliamentary style of government is mentioned in the constitution.

“Numerical majority is important to see what is best for the people of Sindh, and in this regard the members of the PA have made their decision. A political party that has been rejected by the people can’t make such a decision.”