BJP stages walkout on hospital downgrading issue

The BJP today staged a walkout in the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha to protest refusal of the government to withdraw a notification on downgrading of the Civil Hospital at Shahpur in Kangra district.
Leader of the Opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal, who led the walkout, accused Health minister Kaul Singh of misleading the House on the issue.
Parliamentary Affairs minister Mukesh Agnihotri said the BJP was not interested in debates but only in walkouts as it was devoid of any issue.
Raising the issue through a calling attention motion, BJP's Sarveen Chowdhary alleged the Primary Health Centre at Shahpur which had been upgraded into a Civil Hospital had been arbitrarily downgraded into PHC which was unfair.

Chowdhary, who was also a minister the BJP government, termed the move as political saying people of the area were up in arms against the decision.
"If the government does not heed the voice of people, there will be bigger protests hitting health services," she said.

The Health minister, in his reply, said the previous BJP government had taken the decision to upgrade the PHC in a tearing haste just a few days before the assembly election.
The then BJP government had neither increased the bed strength nor sanctioned more posts of doctors and para-medical staff, he pointed out.
"The Congress government has taken the decision to withdraw the notification in the larger public interest," the minister said.

"We will make a feasibility study of all the health institutions and wherever need arises and financial position permits, the government will upgrade the health institutions for better services," he told the House.
Dissatisifed with the minister's reply, the BJP members, demanding revocation of the decision, walked out of the House.