By holding an emergency meeting with senior functionaries of the Delhi government and its allied agencies, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday sent a strong message that the fight against the Covid-19 Pandemic in the national capital can only be fought collectively and without shifting blame on each other. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also described the morning interaction with Shah and other Central government ministers and officials as productive. While several important announcements regarding some fresh measures were announced immediately, it has to be seen whether these would be implemented in letter or spirit or were only for optics to address the fears of the citizens.
Delhi has seen a marked increase in the number of coronavirus cases and according to official estimates, this number may rise rapidly. The most important decision taken at the Home Minister’s meeting was to ramp up testing in the next one week, particularly in the containment zones, to identify the affected persons and prevent community spread. In certain areas, testing would be conducted at the polling booth level. However, what needs to be also simultaneously ascertained is that whether the Delhi government and its allied agencies have sufficient para-medical staff to conduct these tests and give the results on time.
It has been observed so far that in many cases, the results of the tests have got delayed and in certain instances were not made available even after three weeks. If this approach is not changed, the increase in testing would be futile. A major hospital run by the Centre has not been able to provide regular details regarding the number of patients being treated there. This is unacceptable and both the Health Minister and the Home Minister should look into this serious lapse.
Another significant decision taken at the Sunday meeting was to ask private hospitals to cap their rates and reserve 60 percent beds for the Covid-19 patients. The private hospitals have been violating all norms by charging very high rates for the care they are providing to the affected persons. The question that needs to be asked is when there is no known cure for this pandemic, then how is that such huge amounts are being put on the bills. This is a national battle and all have to contribute to this collective effort in saving the country. This is certainly not a commercial opportunity but a national emergency.
Political parties should also ensure that following the Home Minister’s meeting, they should stop accusing each other and concentrate on the task of countering the deadly disease. The increase in the number of beds should be the target and the municipal bodies too must start contributing towards this objective. The Centre is making railway coaches available to help the city authorities in augmenting the facilities. The common citizens should also cooperate with the doctors and the medical personnel. It is they and not the politicians and bureaucrats who are the frontline warriors.