The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has written to PM Modi, requesting him to to acknowledge the casualties among doctors on the front-line during coronavirus disease outbreak.
The IMA’s latest letter is in response to the Government data released recently which said 87,000 healthcare workers in the country have been infected by the virus and 573 of them have succumbed to the viral contagion.
“The data has raised concerns all across the country. IMA’s data for doctors alone has registered 307 deaths as of today and a total of 2,006 infected. 188 of those who died are General Practitioners who are the first point of contact for people,” IMA wrote in its letter.
“Healthcare manpower is precious. Uniform practices have to be put in place throughout the country. Substantial differences are noticed from district to district in how doctors and healthcare workers are deployed. Their service situations differ and mostly reflect the logistics of the district,” the IMA letter to the PM said on Sunday.
Earlier, the Health Ministry had urged all states to pay more attention to healthcare workers’s safety as rates of infection are increasing.
States were also requested to identify vulnerability to the disease among frontline workers as they would be at greater risk for severe Covid-related complications.
According to a state-wise official data, released on Saturday, around 74% of the total 87,176 healthcare workers infected till August 28 and over 86% of total 573 deaths, occurred in six states. these states are Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
In this, Maharashtra’s share was the highest with 28% share in the infection cases among healthcare workers.
“Districts are not sensitive to the safety and the concerns of stress and fatigue of medical manpower. Deploying doctors 24×7 without intermittent quarantine periods or long working hours in PPE for Covid care is not the same as 24×7 Covid control from safe offices,” the IMA letter said.
“All doctors who have laid down their lives in fighting this epidemic should be treated at par with the martyrs of Indian Armed Forces and acknowledged appropriately,” the letter by IMA stated.
“188 of those who died are general practitioners who are the first point of contact for people. An inclusive National solatium for all doctors who have laid down their lives in the calling of the nation only would render justice to the sacrifice of their families, ” the letter said.
