Friday, March 29, 2024
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Dealing with Covid-19: Caught between the Devil and the Deep Sea

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Patricia Mukhim

Governments across the world are grappling with the dilemma of whether to open up now; what sectors of the economy should reopen and why a lockdown is not exactly the way to deal with Covid-19. After nearly five months of lockdown, the jury is still out as to whether it has helped contain the virus or whether the lockdown was primarily to give governments across the world some breathing space to buck up their health care systems. This has been fully exposed in states like Bihar and Maharashtra where Covid patients are left to fend for themselves; some falling off their beds in delirium and lying there unattended. These pathetic sights make us wonder if India should not have invested more in health care and education than in the myriad temples, churches, mosques et al. Of what use are these places of worship when they cannot be used to give relief to suffering humanity at the most critical juncture of their lives? Just think how useful it would have been if the crore of rupees spent on building these beautiful structures, used once a week was to have been invested in state of the art hospitals.

Another thought also flit through my mind while writing this. For decades the coal mine owners have made their megabucks, much of which they regularly use to buy votes to ensure they are elected. It is uncanny that when the state and its people are reeling from a health cum economic crisis of unimagined proportions they are not heard or seen. What have these coal merchants contributed to the people of Meghalaya by way of corporate social responsibility (CSR)? Have they built one good hospital? Or a school to cater to the population around the coal mines? No. They have contributed nothing at all for the larger public good. Have the cement companies spent their CSR in anything productive? In recent times when there is a need to invest in testing kits and equipment why can’t the cement companies and coal merchants together shell out funds to start more testing facilities? We know that it takes almost a week and more for some unfortunate souls to get their Covid test results. As media persons we get all kinds of requests for help although we really are quite powerless. We can only draw the attention of those in government to their plight. Sample this case. A person underwent a test at Civil Hospital on July 23. He learnt after a week that he was Covid positive. So he was quarantined at IIM (Umsawli). Fifteen days have passed but he has not been re-tested; nor have they shown him the results of the test that found him positive. One can imagine the agony of such a person who is left on tenterhooks.

Now the question that arises is why should a test result be given after a week? Is it because of the large number of samples? Are the testing equipments working to their optimum? What are the handicaps faced by microbiologists that we don’t know of? Last heard was that the NEIGRIHMS lab was closed for two days last week for complete cleaning and sanitising because the laboratory has been running non-stop for nearly five months. It was also to give the faculty, who have been working round the clock, a much needed break before they too are affected by fatigue. But after the two-day rest the NEIGRIHMS lab was functioning to the optimum. According to NEIGRIHMS the result of an RT-PCR test should not take more than a day. Since the samples are taken by Civil Hospital the test results usually go to the State Government which then gives the results to individual patients.  In the case of this particular patient he was only told verbally that he is Covid positive but he was not given the test result. What do you think this does to a person? There may be others who face a similar plight as this person.

While there are thousands who have been under institutional quarantine provided by the Government and have spoken highly of the facilities and the personal conduct of the health workers and volunteers, there may be others with no voice that may be facing problems. Are there problem redressal mechanisms in the quarantine centres? Are there help-lines for a person to make distress calls? Perhaps this would have enabled this person to share his predicament.

Now coming to the Hamlet dilemma of ‘to open or not to open,’ it is my firm belief that neither the central nor state governments can keep people locked in or under curfew for too long. The economic costs are too severe and a mere Rs 2500 given as a one-time help to the poorest is not going to take them too far. People need to find work and the strategic sectors of the economy have to open up for that to happen. Those who returned home from distant locations need to either find work at home or travel back to the manufacturing hubs. Fear cannot be allowed to immobilise us. Those who propose lockdowns sitting in the comfort of their homes because they are themselves well looked after do not even know if their next door neighbours have had a decent meal in months. It is easy to spread fear and paranoia when you don’t have to think of the next meal but try walking in the shoes of the poor to know that they really have no choice between being infected by the virus and facing starvation or bankruptcy if they have taken a loan and own a start-up that has gone kaput because it has had to be shut down. The home-stays and other tourism projects across Meghalaya are just one example.

 Another group that is economically vulnerable are the cultivators. The uncertainty of the situation such as the odd-even transport arrangement puts them at risk of either not being able to take their products to the market   or paying a higher price because of the shortage of commercial vehicles. And when the farmers reach the markets they are further exploited by the whole-sellers and middle-men/women. This is one area that needs close scrutiny. We need functioning and robust farmers’ cooperatives. Last heard is that GHP Raju the no-nonsense cop who has taken on many a militant is now Principal Secretary, Co-operation Department which looks at forming viable co-operative societies. Farmer’s co-operatives would give the farmers a better bargaining power and put an end to the exploitation that they have suffered for decades.

These days Police Bazar looks like a ghost town because people generally shun going out and because most shops are still closed or open alternately. Some shops are open only once a week. What happens to the incomes of such people? What happens to their staff? Can they still pay their staff or have they been let off? Is anyone doing any survey yet about the economic onslaught of Covid-19 or are we waiting until the economy reaches rock bottom? We know better now that a Lockdown is not the solution to combating Covid-19 but wearing masks, maintaining strict hand hygiene and physical distancing are better adaptation strategies. It’s time to get real and set aside our fears! Most of those who tested Covid positive have recovered. Those with co-morbidities need to take precautions but the large section of the population that needs to earn their livelihoods must be allowed to do so. If not, then someone should pay them weekly wages with which they can feed their families. If Government cannot guarantee that then it also has no right to prevent people from working.

(Views expressed in these columns are personal and are not necessarily that of The Shillong Times)

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