In light of the recent death of several patients at state-run hospitals in Nanded and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday termed Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and state Health Minister Tanaji Sawant as "incompetent" and asked why the duo should not be sacked.

In a post on social media platform 'X', Thackeray compared the work done in the health sector during his father Uddhav Thackeray's tenure as the chief minister with that of the present "illegal" regime.

"After his (chief minister's) home district of Thane, overnight infant and patient deaths were reported in Nanded, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur. The health minister is shamelessly absent," Aaditya said.

Thirty-one patients, including infants, died at the Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital in Nanded in 48 hours since September 30, while the death of 18 patients was recorded at the Government Medical College and Hospital at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar between October 2 and 3. Eighteen patients had died in 24 hours in a government-run hospital in Thane last month.

Aaditya claimed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had asked hospitals to create wards for coronavirus-infected women to deliver babies.

Newborns and infants were looked after by teams if they had contracted the infection, he said, adding that the government had also constituted a paediatric task force for children with COVID-19.

"And today, this illegal regime's unconstitutional CM has no time to even visit the Nanded hospital," Aaditya said.

"The illegal CM was busy rushing to Delhi for his selfish purposes of guardian ministry/cabinet expansion, but has no time for the health sector that's collapsing in Maharashtra due to the government’s corruption. The health minister is shamelessly absent," he wrote.

"Shouldn't the incompetent CM and health minister be sacked?" he said.

Uddhav Thackeray on Friday attacked the Shinde-led government over the death of several patients in some state-run hospitals in a short span of time, alleging that people were losing lives due to its corrupt governance. He also demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation into the lack of medicines at government-run hospitals.

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