E-Paper
Covid-19: In meeting with Harsh Vardhan, IMA flags PPE shortage
Harsh Vardhan urged the private sector to help the government in spreading awareness on the viral outbreak and disseminate authentic information on the disease at the grassroots level to dispel several myths doing the rounds.
The representatives of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has flagged the acute shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as N-95 masks for doctors treating coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients as a primary concern during a review meeting held by Union health minister Harsh Vardhan via video conferencing on Thursday.
“The meeting was held to get a sense of the kind of problems that doctors are facing on the ground since the IMA has 1,764 branches across the country. The primary concern is the acute shortage of PPE such as N-95 masks. However, the crisis is not restricted to India, as China supplies 80% of the global requirements. Fortunately, the industry has chipped in and indigenous production has started. We’ve been told that we’d get supplies in the next 10-15 days,” said Dr Rajan Sharma, president, IMA.
Harsh Vardhan urged the private sector to help the government in spreading awareness on the viral outbreak and disseminate authentic information on the disease at the grassroots level to dispel several myths doing the rounds.
He also reviewed the preparedness and concerns of the medical staff across the country, including the availability of hospital beds, isolation wards and laboratories’ readiness in coping with a high volume of tests.
“I urged the members to create a task force and take a proactive role in helping the official machinery at state, district and local levels. It is critical due to your position in the society as being medical professionals,” the minister said.
The doctors were apprised of the various guidelines, treatment and protocols that the government has come up with to inform the public about effective Covid-19 management. He also sought their support regarding strict enforcement of the ongoing nationwide lockdown that started on March 25 to contain the viral outbreak.
The minister assured the IMA representatives that the government is pulling out all stops to ensure doctors and health care workers are not ostracised or targeted because of the panic created among common people by the Covid-19 outbreak.
Doctors from Delhi, Kerala, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Mizoram, Karnataka, Manipur, Assam, Odisha, Gujarat, Chandigarh, Telangana and Uttarakhand participated in the meeting.
The private sector has been involved in Covid-19 tests after the government approved 51 private laboratories on March 21. The designated private laboratories have conducted around 1,500 Covid-19 tests to date.
