At the meeting of the Municipal Council of 22/11/2021 After the proposal of the People's Rally, the off-agenda issue "On the evolution of the pandemic and the measures that the Municipal Authority intends to take to protect the health of the people" was discussed..
In the context of the discussion of the issue, the leader of the Popular Coalition highlighted the causes of the situation for which the government policy of pandemic management is responsible in the logic of "cost- οφέλους» που έχει οδηγήσει στην άθλια κατάσταση τις δομές υγείας (Hospitals, Health centres, regional clinics)resulting in the loss of human lives. The responsibilities of the government that insists on the dead-end policy of separating the people into vaccinated and not reproducing the "individual responsibility" and the elimination of its own huge responsibilities in the management of the pandemic were also highlighted.. A policy that has undermined the expansion of vaccination since it has turned this gift of science into a means of separation.
The People's Rally has made concrete proposals on what the Municipal Authority can do to contribute to the protection of the people:
- To demand the strengthening of all public health structures. Hospitals, Health centres, regional clinics. To decisively strengthen the local branch of EODY with staff and funding.
- Provide and indicate to the Ministry of Education rooms that can be used to decongest school classrooms.
- Take all necessary measures to protect workers in the workplace. Free repeated preventive tests for all employees, of all employment relationships without exception.
- Provide funds to increase itineraries for urban commuters at the University.
- To contribute to the organization of an exhaustive and personalized information campaign that will include detailed information, preventive control, but also medical monitoring of vaccinated employees of the Municipality of all employment relationships ,since the latter also maintain chances of illness even severe.
- In the budget of the Municipality that will be discussed in the next period to provide the necessary funds for the relief of the self-employed, small professionals with exemption from municipal fees (is a request of the industry in the recent mobilizations) and contributions due to the impact they receive from the new measures.
- The municipal authority should provide funding for an increase in cleaning staff in schools and kindergartens.(beyond 300000 in addition given by the government to the Municipality).
We asked for these requests to be transferred from the Mayor to the Prime Minister on the occasion of his presence on Friday in our area. Also take advantage of all forms of pressure such as actions, memos, mobilizations, interventions in all directions for their implementation.
The response of the Municipal Authority was one of the same. In the line of government "individual responsibility" refused to adopt at least one of the above requests. They replied that the only weapons we have are the vaccine and the observance of the measures by the people and they limited themselves to the presentation of the communication actions of sensitizing the population for the vaccination.. But even in this issue after a proposal by a municipal councilor (which belongs to the "Kozani Ahead" faction that supports the municipal authority) for information activities in local departments, in collaboration with parents' associations etc.. answered negatively because "as they said there are no doctors to implement them and they doubt their effectiveness".
Those from all walks of life were limited to general reports on strengthening the Public Health System and on recommendations to the people to be vaccinated and on personal responsibility for complying with the measures., without being specifically placed in the proposals submitted by the Popular Rally.
This attitude of theirs is not accidental. The political staff of the bourgeoisie at all levels (MPs, elected to local government) tackles pandemic management in a cost-benefit context in the context of business group profit realism. The speech of a government MP of the prefecture in "11the συνάντηση κοινοβουλευτικής συνεργασίας κοινοβουλίων Ευρώπης και Ασίας με θέμα την προώθηση της παγκόσμιας οικονομικής ανάκαμψης στην εποχή του COVID – 19» όπου αναφέρει «…that the pandemic on the one hand generates investment opportunities (eg in health and e-commerce)..»Which shows their analgesia that in front of the coffins of the dead from covid they see investment opportunities.
Σε αντίστοιχη λογική και ο δήμαρχος Κοζάνης που την στιγμή που η περιοχή χτυπιέται από την πανδημία το μόνο αίτημα που ανέφερε ότι θα μεταφέρει στον πρωθυπουργό, κατά την παρουσία του στην περιοχή είναι η δημιουργία νέου Νοσοκομείου στην περιοχή στον κόμβο της Εγνατίας. The People's Rally is not against the creation of a tertiary structure in the area that is necessary, but at the moment the measures to save lives are paramount.. Nevertheless. We also estimate that the new hospital will be based on the degradation of the rest, after it will be included in the plans for the "new NSS" which provides for hospital mergers, clinics, sections , greater business operation of hospitals through PPPs etc.. In addition, the agreement of the Municipal Authority for the passage of Primary Health Care has been announced. (Health centres) in the local administration that is part of the plans for the "new NSS" which will result in the further degradation of.
We call on the people to draw their own conclusions, not to have illusions about the role of the elected in the local administration which is none other than the promotion of the central policy with the least possible reactions from the people. This role is also played by the Municipal Authority of Kozani. "Only the people can save the people", this slogan to be expressed with militant mobilizations to claim measures to protect our lives, starting with the mobilizations in the presence of the prime minister in the region so that our demands can be heard loudly.
