DOCTORS FOR SEWA SAYS SM GOT IT WRONG

Doctors for Sewa, a non-governmental voluntary consortium of doctors, said that its letter to the Inter Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) had been “grossly misrepresented in social media”. The body had reportedly told IMCT, which was inspecting the state government’s pandemic response, that the state government may have underreported Covid-19 cases.

In a statement on Friday, the organisation appreciated the government and the healthcare administration’s efforts in the fight against Covid-19. This, they said, included the effective implementation of lockdown, ensuring supplies of essential services, efforts towards contact tracing, isolation and quarantine. “We also appreciate training and provision of PPEs to Covid-designated hospitals as well as establishing TIMS, Gachibowli in case of a potential surge in the number of Covid patients,” it said.

The organisation said it had felt the prompt containment measures by the government “with such monumental efforts” would be futile if these are not followed up by rigorous testing, contact tracing and isolation. It said it has submitted various suggestions to the government and highlighted the same to IMCT.

“Unfortunately, our letter to the committee was grossly misrepresented in social media. We have always lauded and continue to acknowledge the undaunted efforts of the government doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and medical administration in the state it said.”