Mumbai, Oct 6 (IANS): In a scathing attack, Shiv Sena (UBT) President and ex-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray alleged corruption in the current government of Maharashtra and demanded a "CBI probe" into its affairs, and the recent hospital deaths, and appealed for "help to the patients in government hospitals", here on Friday.

Speaking to the media, Thackeray said that the state's healthcare system has gone for a toss owing to the blatant corruption through 'agents', rate-cards for postings, commissions in deals, and other ills.

"This is the same healthcare setup that I had when I headed the Maha Vikas Aghadi government during the Covid-19 pandemic… We had the same doctors, the staff, infrastructure and other things. It had performed extremely well in the Corona emergency, but see the status now. What has gone wrong," said Thackeray.

He slammed Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for sitting in New Delhi to discuss how to tackle the Maoist menace when people are dying here in government hospitals and appealed for medical help to the poor.

"The CM and both Deputy CMs (Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar) should have gone to Nanded, studied the situation and taken remedial measures…" said the ex-CM.

Referring to the purported shortages of medicines and other requirements, Thackeray said during the Corona pandemic, the MVA government used to supply medicines and vaccines to people in far-flung areas, even by drones in remote/inaccessible regions.

"There is no pandemic now, yet this is the tragic situation. This government has money to take MLAs to Gujarat, Guwahati to bring down the MVA regime, release advertisements, foreign jaunts by ministers or MPs-MLAs, and squabbling among themselves for ministerial posts, but there are no funds for the poor patients," said Thackeray sharply.

Demanding the resignation of the Health Minister Tanaji Sawant, the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief said that he is only seen in advertisement posters, and a traitor MP, Hemant S. Patil was booked for forcing the Acting Dean of Nanded Hospital Dr S. R. Wakode to clean toilets/urinals.

Questioning this, Thackeray asked pointedly: "Why only the Nanded Dean is booked on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Is he (Dean) being deliberately targeted after he filed the atrocities against the turncoat MP (Patil)”. “What about taking action against other hospitals, including the one in the CM’s home town Thane, and other districts where similar tragedies occurred,” asked Thackeray.

He also slammed Shinde for clicking photos with Bollywood stars during Ganeshotsav when large parts of Nagpur had been submerged under floods at the height of the 10-day festival.