One mantra for India: Test-isolate-treat-trace
Even if all Indians stay home for 21 days, the virus will only be down, not out. Increase testing tenfold
another battlefront. In the best administrative system, at least three days are required for a balanced response system to implement such an order: Framing guidelines for clarity, understanding and operationalising them to reach the last mile. But the sudden lockdown led to misunderstanding and panic, forcing migrant workers to flee cities.
The chaos that followed has, however, diverted attention from what caused it, besides creating the added worry of the potential spread of the infection to the hinterland. It reminds me of the spread of HIV in Surat. The sudden dismantling of a 400year-old brothel, by an enthusiastic police chief, forced sex workers to flee, making containment of the infection difficult.
But now, India has a window of opportunity, provided it acts quickly and decisively. The lockdown itself has limited value. Even if all 1.3 billion stayed home for 21 days, the virus will only be down, but not out.
For optimal results, the lockdown has to be accompanied by scaling up testing tenfold from the current levels, and rigorously implementing the mantra — test-isolate-treat-trace. And for such a scale-up, testing has to be free and accessible.
With several manufacturers of test-kits now authorised, prices will fall with volume. This will be much cheaper than what India is paying in terms of economic and social costs. Removing the deterrence of price and distance is critical in these times.
The second measure is relaxing movement restrictions for goods required for the manufacture and delivery of all health-related items — medical devices, consumables, drugs and instruments — and ensuring the running of the out-patient departments in hospitals. The Chhattisgarh government is reportedly organising five additional vehicles per block to ensure the steady supply of drugs for tuberculosis and chronic patients, besides transporting patients to and from hospitals.
We cannot allow the tap to run dry for the essential care of millions of sick people who need their medicines and surgeries, without creating another health crisis. Closing down outdoor patient units could also mean missing out potential carriers of the virus.
It must be remembered that money cannot buy all the essentials needed to cope with a surge of cases, but quick decisionmaking can. The Centre has now constituted working groups to deal with different aspects of the pandemic. This is a positive step, provided they are empowered and held accountable for delays. Indian companies have also come forward, making available all their resources — knowledge, expertise, infrastructure. This is inspiring.
Working together may give rise to innovation with the long-term triggering of more self-reliant and less dependent policies.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: It’s a battle we have to win.