NCP demands CM, Health Minister's resignaion

Thiruvananthapuram, May 4 (UNI) Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader K Karunakaran today asked Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan and Health Minister P K Sreemathy to quit the office owning responsibility of alleged newborn deaths reported at a government run hospital in the capital during the past four months.

Addressing a pressconference here, he said a government which could not save human lives had no moral right to continue in the office.

Mr Karunakaran said state Sports and Youth Affairs Minister M Vijayakumar, who represented the constituency also had the responsibility in the incident.

Alleging that no preventive steps had been taken so far for preventing such incidents in the future, the former Chief Minister said the labour room in the hospital should have been closed at least two days to make it free from infection.

On a local court's direction, a case was today charged against seven persons, including Kerala Health Minister P K Sreemathi, for failing to take steps to prevent the deaths of new born babies due to infection at the state-run Sree Avittam Tirunal (SAT) hospital. A case had never been registerd against a Health Minister in this respect in the history of Kerala, he said.

Mr Karunakaran also alleged that the government had not taken any effective action to evict encroachers from the government land at Munnar in Idukki district. Though the Chief Minister had convinced that illegal constructions were going on in the government land during his recent visit, no action had been taken so far, he said and suggested that stern action should be taken against all, irrespective of political color.

If the government did not take action against them, the people would come forward against it, he cautioned.

The NCP leader informed that he would leave for Delhi after the Uttar Pradesh election and would continue his mission to bring leaders to the party.

UNI