By Abdul Bari Masoud
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s televised address on the Coronavirus outbreak to the nation on Thursday evening came for sharp criticism. Political commentators and experts said the PM has downplayed science and its role in controlling the Coronavirus and did not debunk unscientific prescriptions suggested by his cabinet colleagues and ideological acolytes.
Reacting on the PM’s speech, Dr Harjit Bhatti, National Convener of “Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum” (PMSF), said the PM did not announce any measures for controlling the outbreak of COVID19in the country.
“It is shockingly amazed at the lackadaisical response of the Central and Delhi governments to the outbreak of COVID19 infection in the National Capital Territory of Delhi.”
He underlined that many other countries of the world have already taken all measures to check this pandemic.
Remarkably, Spain has ordered all of its private hospitals to be ‘Nationalised’; French government has ordered its perfume makers to manufacture hand sanitizer and make that available to the people for free; China’s largest electric-car maker has, almost overnight, turned into world’s biggest protective face mask producer; the US president Donald Trump signed a bill to enforce the private companies to provide paid leave to their employees.”
However, all of these may yet be dwarfed by India’s unique contribution to the fight against Corona virus – the ‘Janta Curfew’ – people’s curfew, by the people, for themselves, Dr Bhatti said.
Since the outbreak of this epidemic, myriad unscientific, whimsical and bizarre solutions are being offered to cure and remedy the effects of the virus. Even Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey has audacity to suggest the people to spend at least 15 minutes in the sun. Hindu Mahasbha organized cow urine parties’ claiming that its urine is elixir for treatment of the virus.
Dr Bhatti noted that the PM did not utter any word on these unscientific prescriptions.
“It would have been thoughtful of the Prime Minister to factor in the campaign being mounted by his organizational acolytes about the potential of ‘Gau-Mutra’ (cow urine) in curing Coronavirus, especially as he himself acknowledged that as yet no cure or vaccine against corona virus had been developed anywhere in the world”.
Political commentator and senior journalist, Abdi Shah said it was sad that the PM made no effort to debunk unscientific prescriptions, the propaganda that sprays of cow urine and taking bath in cow dung would cure people.
“He could have told people that singing bhajans was good for the soul and peace of mind but to sing, “Go Corona; Go” might not be very effective. He could have also informed people that the virus does not distinguish between vegetarians and non-vegetarians, as some Indians clearly believe.” Shah added.
Even though the WHO’s mantra in fighting against COVID-19 has been ‘Test, Test and Test’, the Indian government is still in a quandary over how to expand the testing facilities.
But Modi, in his 30-minute speech, stressed to rally the people of India in the fight against the ongoing Corona virus pandemic, asserted that ‘Janata curfew’ will be a test of people’s “self-discipline” in fighting the virus. Pontificating further, it was asserted that: “Patience is an essential virtue in order to avoid this disease. And how does one practice patience? By staying away from crowds, avoiding stepping out of homes …… You will not only be unjust to yourself, but also to your family.”
Dr Bhatti said in a country where over 90 percent of the work force is employed in unorganized sector, daily earning is a necessary condition of living.
“As such, this does not enable the overwhelming section of the people of the country to pass the stringent test of not being ‘unjust’ to themselves and their families, as laid down by the Honorable Prime Minister. Let alone announce financial assistance to the indigent families, under the provisions of various social sector schemes.”
He further said the least that the P M could have announced was provisioning of free rations for the poor, using the fabled mountains of food grain stocks amassed on the foundations of untold hunger, at least for the period over which the COVID-19 surge is expected to peter out.
The sorry state of affairs in India’s Public Health Sector is only too well known to bear repetition. On top of that India’s status as being among the foremost countries afflicted with malnutrition implies that there is a mass of humanity which if infected with the virus could succumb like the proverbial ninepins.
Unlike Spain, which nationalized all private hospitals to effectively fight against Corona virus, the Indian government has still not been able to finalize arrangements with private labs for testing of the virus. What is most shocking is the fact, which based on negative results for Corona in 500 random samples drawn from patients of acute respiratory disease, admitted in ICUs of different hospitals across the country, ICMR is claiming that there is no community transmission in India as yet.
Given the size of India’s population, the fact that there could be very mild forms of Corona virus infections capable of transmission, and the fact that access to health services remains indifferent in large parts of the country, especially for the indigent and the marginalized sections, such claims can only be counted as self-delusional.
He said PMSF strongly feels that the government cannot be allowed to run away from its responsibility by simply putting the entire onus on the people.
There cannot be an escape from sound public health planning and hard decisions in terms of marshalling the entire resources of the country, including those in private sector, to protect India from this calamity. That such measures need not be stuff of rhetoric has already been shown by many countries, including those of the developed capitalist world, provided there is a political will to act on the side of the people.
We call upon the medical fraternity, the civil society and the people at large to put pressure on the government to make it do what it is supposed to do, Dr Bhatti said.