Assam doctors' body pens note of protest to Himanta Biswa Sarma; find out why

Guwahati: The Assam unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has strongly protested the Government's order of engaging health workers and doctors in 11 days' continuous service in the COVID-19 wards and thereafter only 3 days of quarantine before re-engaging them in Covid-19 duties, subject to testing negative for the disease.

Writing to Himanta Biswa Sarma, the doctors' body told the health minister that with the present surge of Covid-19 patients, it will be difficult for the Government to control the situation if "proper planning" is not implemented, adding that increasing hospitals will be futile without manpower, Assam has "very limited resource in terms of doctors and health workers."

The IMA also said that working in COVID wards continuously for 11 days wearing PPE kits, without air-conditioning in most centres, would be "very much exerting and exhausting."

"Moreover, IMA strongly protests the Government's decision to switch over to antigen tests for checking health workers engaged in Covid duty as the ICMR has already mentioned that the this test is less sensitive and a negative test does not rule out Covid", the body said in its statement.

The IMA also expressed that such "unplanned and insensitive" steps will further endanger the health workers and claimed that time is not far off when COVID-19 positive persons will have to treat the patients. The body further advised the Government to consider treating the asymptomatic patients in their own houses, as per the ICMR's advice. The body also demanded a critical review by the Government as to why so many health workers and doctors are affected by the disease.

The doctors' note of protest has come at a time when the state is witnessing a massive surge in the number of COVID-19 cases, with the number of cases having risen above 12,000. At the same time, it has been reported that several frontline personnel -- such as police and healthcare workers -- have been infected with the dreaded contagion, giving rise to further panic in the state. The medical community, especially, has fought tooth and nail against the virus, making them especially vulnerable to contracting the disease.

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