Govt closing Amma clinics due to political vendetta, says TN's ex-health minister

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 7 : Stating that Amma Clinics was opened for a noble cause, former Tamil Nadu health minister Dr C Vijayabaskar on Thursday alleged that the closure of clinics is due to a political vendetta by the incumbent state government.
Speaking to ANI, Vijayabaskar said, "The Amma clinics in the state was opened with the purpose of serving the poorest of poor in the remote part of the state. The previous AIADMK government had the clinics after recruiting the doctors for Rs 60,000 salaries. The G.O. was passed in the first year of the pandemic and if the AIADMK had come to power again in the state then we would have extended the G.O. However, if the government says that the closure of the clinics is not the part of political vendetta then it should continue the previous government order. The Amma clinics have proven vital in handling the pandemic."
With the spread of Omicron cases in the state as well as in the country, the former health minister said that the government should learn from past experience and strengthen the medical infrastructure.
Vijayabaskar said, "During the first wave of COVID-19, we thought that 80 per cent are asymptomatic. But when the peak happened, people were scrambling for beds in the state and in the country. So we should learn lessons from the past experience and improve and strengthen the medical infrastructure which will help us handle the third wave of COVID-19."