Assam: IMA’s letter on COVID management reveals Health Minister’s dictatorial attitude, says Debabrata Saikia

The Leader of the Opposition, Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saikia on July 8^th, 2020 said that the Indian Medical Association’s letter to the Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressing resentment has revealed the latter’s ‘dictatorial attitude’.

“The letter has formally proved his dictatorial attitude,” Saikia said while demanding the government to take the issues raised by IMA seriously.

He further slammed the government over the complete lockdown in Guwahati, which was enforced on June 28^th midnight. “Due to the enforcement of the unplanned lockdown, the state has witnessed a massive spike in COVID-19 cases. After the declaration of the lockdown, people rushed to their home towns without doing any tests which is a root cause behind the increase in cases,” he added.

Also read: Assam: IMA’s letter on COVID management reveals Health Minister’s dictatorial attitude, says Debabrata Saikia

In a letter written to the Health Minister on July 7th, 2020, the Assam wing of the IMA stated, “With the present surge of COVID-19 patients, it will be difficult for the government to control the situation if proper planning is not done. Increasing hospital beds without manpower planning will be a futile exercise as we have a very limited resources in terms of doctors and health workers.”

The association further strongly criticised the government's order of engaging health workers and doctors in service in the Covid Wards for 11 consecutive days and thereafter only 3 days of quarantine before reengaging them in COVID duties subject to testing negative for the disease.

“It does not require mention that working in COVID wards continuously for 11 days wearing full PPE kits and in this torrid summer, without air-conditioning in most centres, would be very much exerting and exhausting and IMA fears the government's decision will demoralize the frontline workers,” the association said.

Moreover, IMA strongly protests the government's decision to switch over to antigen tests for checking health workers engaged in COVID-19 duty as the ICMR has already mentioned that this test is less sensitive and a negative test does not rule out COVID, moreover requires confirmation of the negative status by a PCR test.

The association further said that such unplanned and insensitive steps will further endanger the health workers and time is not far away that doctors and health workers will have to serve the people with COVID in their persons.

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