Warriors Left Adrift

There is a sense of grief and disappointment among doctors that despite risking their lives, the centre doesn’t even have data of the frontline workers who died valiantly treating coronavirus patients

DOCTORS, paramedics and healthcare staff have held the frontline against the coronavirus pandemic the world over. In India, they faced many non-virus challenges too—shortage of PPE kits, lack of governmental will and policy, hostile neighbours, being cut off from their families—while going about their work with dedication and putting their lives at great risk.

India has the second-largest number of infections behind the US. As of November 11, 2020, India had 86.36 lakh cases with 1.28 lakh deaths, according to the WHO. The government paid a token tribute to the frontline warriors early on in the pandemic by showering them with flowers and then by clanking thaalis and lighting diyas. But surely that is not enough.

Dr Vinay Aggarwal, former president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), told India Legal: “One of the problems was wearing PPE kits for hours, with faces covered with two masks in temperatures more than 40 degrees. Some of the medical workers were even forced to wear raincoats and motorbike helmets due to shortage of protective health gear.”

He said that the pandemic had completely exposed the medical infrastructure, which was not robust even 70 years after Independence. The only states which were better equipped were Kerala, which tackled the situation very well during the initial phases, and Maharashtra, which later became a victim of lack of execution. Gujarat and Tamil Nadu also have better primary and secondary care, he said.