Governments must ensure full transparency in all Covid-related decisions: PMSF

The government must ensure full transparency in all decisions related to Covid policies at national and state level with public health scientists leading the corona control efforts, a body of medicos has said.

In a statement on Sunday, the Progressive Medicos and Scientific Forum (PMSF) also cautioned the government against any “draconian” measures such as lockdown which do not have “any scientific basis” and are devastating to the poor.

The total number of daily new Covid cases on Saturday (April 3) stood at 86,184, including 471 deaths. Delhi recorded 3,567 new cases on Saturday.

“India’s official response to Covid has been mired in controversies since the very beginning with the solutions being promoted and imposed being worse than the malady itself. The government’s response continues to ignore the basic tenets of public health and disease control with astounding brazenness,” the PMSF said in the statement.

“Data obscurity around Covid has been the most serious compounding factor in the mismanagement of Covid in a belief that simple denial of reality may well lead to a healthier situation. The most recent instance of such Ostrich like behaviour of the government and its agencies is the suppression of information on mutant corona variant community transmission for over three months. The mutant strains seem to be the main driver of second peak,” it added.

The body noted that key decisions regarding corona control “seem to be guided more by politics than science”.

“Organization of and participation in huge political gatherings and religious congregations by several political leaders including the Prime Minister, and at the same time warning of another lockdown defies logic, confuses the people, and conveys utter lack of sincerity of purpose…The results of the earlier lockdown are already there before us to draw lessons from,” the statement read.

“The fact remains that just about 65 million doses of vaccine have been given till the 1st of April, of which also overwhelming 56 million have received only one dose, which is not sufficient to develop adequate immunity against the virus. Though the Prime Minister is claiming much credit for India helping out other countries in fulfilling their need for vaccines, the overwhelming majority of Indians are left wondering about free vaccination promises made during elections. The vaccination rollout appears to be catering only to the anxieties of the upper and middle class with total disregard for the poor of the country,” it further said.

It pointed out that even one of the biggest health tragedies in human history has failed to compel the government of India to raise the health budget which remains among the lowest in the world.

The PMSF underlined that all routine healthcare facilities must continue to be provided along with Covid treatment in government and private hospitals.

“All corona related healthcare and vaccination should be guided by sound scientific principles, and provided totally free of cost to all Indians irrespective of socio-economic status (and not through insurance or reimbursement or other circuitous indirect ways). The public sector healthcare system should be strengthened with abolition of contractual posts and regularisation of all healthcare personnel,” it added.