A Plan To Beat The Pandemic

With India on the brink of rapid community transmission of COVID-19, the government needs to move fast to fix gaps in the health infrastructure and put foolproof protocols in place

- Sonali Acharjee and Amarnath K. Menon

1 FIGHTING COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION

With the number of Novel Coronavirus cases climbing steadily and reports of local transmission emerging from across the country, India is on the brink of community transmission—or Stage 3—of COVID-19. On March 24, while announcing a three-week preventive lockdown of the entire country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi allocated Rs 15,000 crore to boost the health infrastructure. The funds will be used to create additional hospital beds, build on the stockpile of COVID-19 testing kits and train medical practitioners. The Centre is putting in place protocols, including the acquisition of medical equipment and protection gear needed in the special isolation wards and facilities. A training protocol for frontline health workers is also being prepared.

“The funds announced are a beginning. We would need more, depending on how soon we can end this affliction. Earlier, states were only using National Health Mission (NHM) funds. Now, they have access to a central fund,” says Dr V.K. Paul, public health expert and a member of NITI Aayog. “The first thing to do with the funds is equip hospitals—with personal protective gear, ventilators, additional oxygen, drugs—and train staff.” While isolation wards are being created, Dr Paul says COVID-specific facilities also need to be looked at for Stage 3. “In Geneva, they are out of ICU (intensive care unit) beds. Such is the virulence of the disease at its peak. We need good hospitals—that is where the focus is now. To support hospitals, we must also have isolation facilities, a strict surveillance system and should even consider setting up call centres in medical colleges,” he says. Dr Paul maintains that India is still at Stage 2 (local transmission), but testing is being done more widely now.