Come forward to fight corona: CITU

Come forward to fight corona - CITU

Thiruvananthapuram, March 18: The CITU state secretariat appeals to workers in the state to accept the directions issued by the Kerala government to tackle the spread of the coronavirus and to take part in prevention work. Workers must come forward to disinfect all places where people mingle, and take special care to clean public spaces and disinfect public vehicles.

The steps Kerala has taken to prevent the spread of corona have been praised around the world. It is the LDF government's action in keeping the health sector in the public sector and strengthening it that has saved the people. In countries that abandoned government involvement in health as part of neoliberal policies and handed everything to the private sector, there is no means to protect people's health. In many countries, profit-hungry private insurance companies rule the health sector.

India too is moving this way. Government spending on health falls every year. When epidemics like corona spread, private insurance companies with no social commitment throw up their hands. Even in developed European countries, people feel insecure.

It is against this background that the Kerala government's measures to protect people's health and prevent epidemics are being praised. The world watched in amazement as Kerala succeeded earlier in tackling the Nipah outbreak. The foresight behind the Suchitwa Keralam (Clean Kerala) scheme, part of the Nava Kerala Mission, and the improvement in government hospitals through the Aardram scheme should be remembered at this time.

Workers' organisations must be ready to follow the precautions the government advises against corona and to become volunteers in this work. We appeal to workers' organisations to come forward together to help brothers and sisters suffering from loss of work.

Elamaram Kareem
General Secretary