Mangaluru:  Members of Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee and Covid-19 helpline unit accused the government of failing to provide proper treatment to Covid-19 patients and staged a protest in front of Wenlock Hospital on Monday.

The protesters demanded the resignation of Health Minister Sriramulu for failing to manage the Covid-19 situation effectively.

Former MLC Ivan D’Souza said a majority of the infected people are availing treatment at Wenlock Hospital. But, the hospital’s health care suffers from a lack of facilities.

The government has been neglecting the health care of people. Many infected who did not receive timely health care had lost their lives in Karnataka, he added.

Wenlock Hospital has been converted into a Covid hospital. But, there is a lack of ventilators and beds to treat patients. A notice on no ventilator and beds had been pasted on the walls of the hospital, he said.

An average of 10,000 people are getting infected in Karnataka daily and in Dakshina Kannada district already 401 people have lost their lives. The lack of ventilators and oxygen supported beds exposes the government’s failure in tackling the situation.

Former MLA J R Lobo said that owing to the negligent attitude of the local MLA and MP, the poor are facing hardships in availing the treatment.

The protesters also alleged that private hospitals were charging exorbitant fees to treat the infected. There is a lack of beds to treat ailing patients.

The protesters held placards which read, ‘There are no ICU beds for the Covid infected’, ‘Government failed to give ventilator for infected’, ‘no proper hospital for Covid infected’ and others.

DCC President Harish Kumar, former MLA Moideen Bava, Mangaluru TP President Mohammed Monu and others were present.