CHANDIGARH: The arrogance of Punjab health ministerand BJP leader Luxmi Kanta Chawla has left Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal with no option other than asking his Chief Secretary to convey to health department authorities to provide free medical aid to dengue patients.

The official press release on Saturday has given an insight of relations between ruling partners SAD and BJP where CM feels helpless to address directly to the health minister. It is learnt that Badal and most of the minsiters from SAD and BJP are annoyed with Luxmi Kanta Chawla for her autocratic style of functioning.

 Parkash Singh Badal has directed the State Chief Secretary  Ramesh Inder Singh to immediately gear up health and medical services to meet any unforeseen eventuality caused due to outbreak of dengue in the state. Badal also asked the Chief Secretary to issue instructions in all the government hospitals and dispensaries to provide free treatment to the patients inflicted with dengue.

The Chief Minister conveyed these instructions telephonically to the Chief Secretary Mr. Ramesh Inder Singh this evening from Ludhiana, where he was holding a series of  Sangat Darshan Programme in the city for past two days.  Badal asked the Chief Secretary to instruct Principal Secretary Medical Education & Research and the both Secretary and Director Health and family welfare to constitute special teams in the state medical colleges and hospitals to effectively treat the cases of dengue. The Chief Minister also asked the Health and Family Welfare department to create awareness amongst the people about the causes, symptoms and treatment of the disease through issuing advertisements in the print as well as electronic media.

Meanwhile Health and Family Welfare Minister Mrs. Laxmi Kanta Chawla also held an emergency meeting here with the officers of the local government department to take remedial measures to prevent further spread of this disease.