Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Tuesday launched a sharp counterattack against Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, defending the Yogi Adityanath government's healthcare record while alleging widespread corruption and mismanagement during the previous SP regime.
Response to Criticism
In a post on his official X handle, Pathak responded to Akhilesh's criticism by enumerating what he termed major achievements in healthcare infrastructure and medical education since 2017. Quoting a Sanskrit verse, he remarked that those lacking wisdom fail to learn from available evidence and urged the SP chief to review his own government's performance before attacking the present administration.
Expansion of Medical Education
Citing official figures, Pathak stated that Uttar Pradesh had only 40 medical colleges from 1947 to 2017, comprising 17 government and 23 private institutions. He claimed that in the last nine years, 41 new medical colleges were established, raising the total to 81, with 51 government and 30 private colleges. The number of MBBS seats, he said, had risen from approximately 4,500 during the SP government to nearly 12,500 now, adding that the government's target of at least one medical college in every district was being pursued.
Enhanced Service Delivery
On service delivery, Pathak highlighted that government hospitals now conduct 6,500 to 7,000 surgeries daily and treat 4.5 to 5 lakh outpatients every day. He noted that dialysis and CT scan facilities were available in every district, and hospitals had been equipped with digital X-ray machines, ECG machines, ventilators, patient monitors, and advanced cataract surgery equipment.
Digital Health Initiatives
Pathak also asserted that Uttar Pradesh leads the country with over 5.5 crore Ayushman Bharat cards and more than 15.3 crore ABHA IDs. He credited telemedicine and mobile medical units for improving healthcare access in rural areas.
Allegations Against Previous Regime
He alleged irregularities under the SP government, including scams linked to the 102 and 108 ambulance services, recruitment fraud, issues in the appointment of technical staff, and problems in the World Bank-funded UP Health System Strengthening Project.
