4,200 allopaths in city sign up for Covid combat, so far
Around 4,200 registered medical practitioners in the city are willing to join civic and government hospitals in the fight against Covid-19. However, others have cited reasons such as age, their ongoing treatment of nonCovid patients and medical conditions for non-participation. Health officials said, around 4,246 RMPs from Mumbai are willing to serve Covid patients.
In a recent survey, the government had found that at least 10,000 private doctors had shut down their clinics in Mumbai or stopped providing consultation to patients amid the pandemic threat.
Dr TP Lahane, director,
DMER, said that so far 20,000 doctors had responded, of whom 4,246 doctors, all below the age of 45, had said they would willingly work in Covid-19 facilities. These doctors include MBBS graduates, specialists and surgeons. “We have selected 4,246 doctors between 25 to 45 years of age, who are willing to work and 5,000 RMPs will be registering in the next two days,” he said.
Authorities had suggested that RMPs could run their clinic by day and work in government hospitals at night. “Some of them were above 55, so we could not use their services. Some were running clinics and we suggested they could work both, at the clinic and our hospital, while some had shut down their practice,” Dr Lahane added.
On May 4, to cope with the rising number of Covid-19 hospitalisations, the DMER had issued a notification, asking over 25,000 registered allopaths in Mumbai to fill forms providing details of their specialisation, preference of area of work, current hospitals or clinics where they work and their addresses.
“You shall thereby convey your willingness and place of choice where you would like to render your services… Non-attendance of duty will be considered as breach of Medical Council of India code of ethics that we administered at the time of obtaining degree and action will be initiated according to provisions of Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897,” read the notification.
Dr Shivkumar Utture, president, Maharashtra Medical Council, said joining civic and government hospitals in the fight against Covid-19 was not optional for the RMPs who had filled the requisite form. “It is mandatory for all RMPs in Mumbai to join the civic and government hospitals to fight the pandemic. Those refusing to participate will face action,” he said.