The Evening Wrap: SC forms task force for transparent oxygen allocation
| | The Evening WrapSaturday | 08 May, 2021 |  |
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Supreme Court forms National Task Force for transparent oxygen allocation |
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The Supreme Court has constituted a 12-member National Task Force to streamline and ensure the "effective and transparent" allocation of liquid medical oxygen on a "scientific, rational and equitable basis" to States and Union Territories fighting Covid-19. The apex court had expressed its dissatisfaction at the Centre's earlier "oxygen-for-bed" formula. This "rough-and-ready" arrangement, as the court put it, was based on calculating the allotment of oxygen based on the number of ICU/non-ICU beds. The court, however, said the formula did not take into consideration the fact that many Covid-19 patients in dire need of oxygen do not get beds or were confined to home care. A Bench led by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, in a 24-page order released on Saturday, said the formula should be scrapped and the problem of allocation of oxygen should be looked at afresh. A new mechanism devised more scientifically should take care of present requirement for oxygen as well as be flexible enough to accommodate "unforeseen demands due to emergencies which may arise within the allocated territories". "Different States may peak during different time… their needs for oxygen may vary," Justice Chandrachud had pointed out. The court said setting up an expert body or task force "drawn of renowned national experts with diverse experience in health institutions" to function within the Central government apparatus would facilitate a public health response to the pandemic based on scientific and specialised domain knowledge. The court said the decision-makers should go beyond cobbling together ad-hoc solutions based on present problems. They have to prepare for the future. The task force's work would provide the Centre with inputs and strategies. "We expect that the leading experts in the country shall associate with the work of the Task Force both as members and resource persons. This will facilitate a meeting of minds and the formulation of scientific strategies to deal with an unprecedented human crisis," the court explained. The members of the Task Force are Dr Bhabatosh Biswas, Former Vice-Chancellor, West Bengal University of Health Sciences, Kolkata; Dr. Devender Singh Rana, Chairperson, Board of Management, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi; Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairperson and Executive Director, Narayana Healthcare, Bengaluru; Dr. Gagandeep Kang, Professor, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu; Dr J.V. Peter, Director, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu; Dr Naresh Trehan, Chairperson and Managing Director, Medanta Hospital and Heart Institute, Gurugram; Dr. Rahul Pandit, Director, Critical Care Medicine and ICU, Fortis Hospital, Mulund (Mumbai, Maharashtra) and Kalyan (Maharashtra); Dr. Saumitra Rawat, Chairman & Head, Department of Surgical Gastroenterology and Liver Transplant, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi; Dr. Shiv Kumar Sarin, Senior Professor and Head of Department of Hepatology, Director, Institute of Liver and Biliary Science (ILBS), Delhi; Dr. Zarir F. Udwadia, Consultant Chest Physician, Hinduja Hospital, Breach Candy Hospital and Parsee General Hospital, Mumbai; and Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India (ex officio member). The Convenor of the National Task Force, who shall also be a member, will be the Cabinet Secretary to the Union Government. The Task Force is to start work immediately and have an initial life-span of six months. The court urged the Task Force to take up and determine the "pressing issue" of the modalities of oxygen within a week. DCGI approves anti-COVID drug developed by DRDO for emergency useThe Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted permission for emergency use of anti-Covid-19 therapeutic application of the drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in collaboration with Dr. Reddy's Laboratories (DRL),Hyderabad. In a release issued on Saturday, the Ministry of Defence said that as per the order, emergency use of this drug as adjunct therapy in moderate to severe Covid-19 patients is permitted. It added that being a generic molecule and analogue of glucose, it can be easily produced and made available in plenty in the country. The drug comes in powder form in sachet, which is taken orally by dissolving it in water. It accumulates in the virus-infected cells and prevents virus growth by stopping viral synthesis and energy production. Its selective accumulation in virally infected cells makes this drug unique. Clinical trial results have shown that this molecule helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence, noted the release. It further said that higher proportion of patients treated with 2-DG showed RT-PCR negative conversion in Covid-19 patients. "The drug will be of immense benefit to people suffering from Covid-19," said the Ministry. Positive test for Covid-19 not mandatory for admission, says Health MinistryRequirement of a positive test for the Covid-19 virus is not mandatory for admission to a Covid-19 health facility and no patient will be refused services on any count, the Health Ministry said on Saturday, announcing the revised national policy for admission to various categories of Covid-19 facilities. The patient-centric measure aims to ensure prompt, effective and comprehensive treatment of patients suffering from Covid-19, said the Ministry. "The revised guidelines cover medications such as oxygen or essential drugs even if the patient belongs to a different city," added the release. The revised guidelines noted that no patient shall be refused admission on the ground that he/she was not able to produce a valid identity card establishing they belonged to the city where the hospital is located. "Admissions to hospital must be based on need. It should be ensured that beds are not occupied by persons who do not need hospitalisation. Further, the discharge should be strictly in accordance with the revised discharge policy," added the Ministry. The Ministry has advised Chief Secretaries of States/Union Territories to issue necessary orders and circulars, incorporating the new directions within three days, which shall be enforced till replaced by an appropriate uniform policy. Supreme Court orders immediate de-congestion of prisons in view of Covid-19 surgeThe Supreme Court has taken a humanitarian view of the four-lakh-plus prison population inside overcrowded jails even as the second wave of the pandemic continues its devastating run across the country. "India has more than four lakh prison inmates. It is observed that some of the prisons in India are overburdened and are housing inmates beyond optimal capacity…. The requirement of decongestion is a matter concerning the health and right to life of both the prison inmates and the police personnel working," the Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana, and comprising Justices L. Nageswara Rao and Surya Kant, stressed. In a 14-page order released on Saturday, Chief Justice Ramana's Bench ordered the police to take a leaf from the apex court's judgment in the Arnesh Kumar case and limit arrests during the pandemic to prevent over-crowding in jails; especially not to order detention in a mechanical manner in cases involving punishment of less or upto seven years' imprisonment. It further ordered special committees or 'High-Powered Committees' constituted in most States and Union Territories to screen prisoners and release them on interim bail. In addition to these fresh releases, the court said prisoners who were released on interim bail during the 2020 surge should be freed again "forthwith". Ninety percent of inmates released last year had returned to their prisons in February and March 2021. Similarly, inmates who were given parole in 2020 should be released again on a 90-day parole in a bid to de-congest prisons, control infections and save lives within the prison walls. "From limiting arrests to taking care of Covid-19 patients, there is a requirement for effective management of pandemic from within the prison walls so as to defeat this deadly virus," the court emphasised. More importantly, this time, the court took into consideration a situation where certain prisoners may be too scared to return home, though eligible for release on interim bail or parole, owing to their social circumstances or simply because they are afraid they may get infected with Covid-19 while outside. In such cases, the court ordered proper medical facilities, immediate treatment and regular tests for both inmates and jail staff. It said maintenance of daily hygiene in prisons should be put at a premium. The Bench even ordered the State and prison authorities to transport the released prisoners to their homes so that they would not have any trouble in view of any curfew or lockdown. Significantly, the court, addressing the government, said "the fight against the pandemic is greatly benefitted by transparent administration". It noted, in this regard, how the prison occupancy in Delhi is updated on official websites concerned. "Such measures are required to be considered by other States and should be adopted as good practice. Moreover, all the decisions of High-Powered Committees need to be published on respective State Legal Service Authorities/State Governments/High Courts websites in order to enable effective dissemination of information." Tamil Nadu announces two-week complete lockdown from May 10The Tamil Nadu government on May 8 imposed a complete lockdown (with few relaxations) for two weeks across the State between 4 a.m. on May 10 and 4 a.m on May 24 to combat the spread of Covid-19. The State government said there would be no restrictions across the State between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. — shops will function during this period — on May 8 and 9 to allow the public to prepare ahead of the complete lockdown. Inter-district and intra-district vehicular movement (including public transport) will remain suspended during the lockdown, except for essential travel. Travel for weddings of close relatives, funerals, job interviews and hospitals would be allowed on production of relevant documents. In a statement, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said all shops, except provision and grocery stores and meat stalls, would remain closed. Covid Watch: Numbers and DevelopmentsThe number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 2,21,29,847 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 2,40,171. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. |
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