PM meets pharma firms and doctors

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday virtually interacted with some of the top doctors, and key leaders of the pharmaceutical industry to review India’s response to the Covid-19 situation.

According to people who attended the meetings, Modi appreciated the efforts put in by both the medical fraternity and the pharma industry during the pandemic. “The interaction was not just about discussing the problem at hand, but also to appreciate how the medical fraternity had risen to the occasion and was serving despite the enormous pressure. Doctors also shared their personal experiences,” said one of the doctors who attended the meeting.

Modi also discussed the progress in Covid-19 vaccinations with the doctors.

“Last year, during the same time, it was due to our doctors’ hard work and the nation’s strategy that we were able to control the coronavirus wave. Now that the country is facing the second wave of coronavirus, all the doctors, our frontline workers are confronting the pandemic with full force, and are saving the lives of millions of people,” an official statement quoted the Prime Minister as saying.

He said that vaccination was the biggest weapon in the fight against Covid-19, and urged the doctors to encourage more and more patients to get vaccinated, and help allay unfounded fears related to vaccines. “…it is very important that people do not become a victim of panic. For this, along with proper treatment, emphasis must also be on counselling of patients admitted in hospitals...,” Modi said.