SHILLONG: Former chief minister, Mukul Sangma, who is also a medical doctor, has come down heavily on the government for locking down the state from March 20 this year ostensibly to prepare itself for the pandemic but has failed to do so effectively.
“The MLAs had given many suggestions every now and again but these were not translated into action. Often I had to speak to the bureaucrats myself and remind them of the suggestions given to tackle the COVID-19,” Sangma said.
He was responding to The Shillong Times’ query as to how differently his government would have tackled the coronavirus. Stating that we were dealing with a highly infectious virus, the doctor-turned politician said the government should have adopted a scientific approach from the very beginning. That meant doing an audit of the number of health experts on public health, virology- epidemiology, pulmonologists et al because their opinions matter.
“Knowingly or unknowingly we have let our guard down and that’s how the enemy has entered our territory. We required domain experts so that the virus is not allowed to sneak in. We should have put in place a strong surveillance system at the national, regional and state level but that has not happened,” Sangma rued. He further questioned if the state has a disease surveillance team, a technical team and how updated the officers are. He pointed out that in the fight against this pandemic it is important to have the right people in the right places.
Sangma also said that auditing of health care facilities should have been done from the early stages.
Pointing to the inadequate management of inter-state movement, he said on NH-62 there was no system in place and no protocols adopted for movement of vehicles carrying essential commodities.
“The trucks coming in and going out should have been carefully filtered so that they don’t mix with the local populace. Rongjeng is like Fancy Bazar, Guwahati – a commercial hub with very high footfalls. People converge there from South Garo Hills and West Khasi Hills but there is no dedicated place for truck drivers to stop and eat. It’s the same with Athiabari. Transporters have to stop somewhere but that arrangement had not been made,” Sangma said.
He also blamed the government for allowing vehicles carrying coke from the illegal plants set up in the areas and said, “These illegalities are being facilitated by the government.”
Speaking about the manner in which the pandemic was dealt with from the beginning, Sangma who is the leader of the opposition, said the chief minister took over from the Health department and gave daily statistics of COVID-infected people. Since the CM was taking charge no one could supersede him.
The Health Minister and CMO were not on same page and there was apparently no cohesion in the government.
(Contd on P-10)
Mukul indicts CM…
(Contd from P-1) He said the Health minister visited the rural health centres and found several things wanting. It suggests that there is no synchronicity in the government.
“It is interesting that now when cases have spiked the CM has stopped talking about COVID but is now talking of other issues. Are they doing auditing now that cases have spiked and are anticipated to rise with coming of winter? Are we prepared? Where is the war footing preparedness? The districts do not have enough funds to manage corona care centres and there are not enough facilities. While community-based institutions have stepped in, they are largely untrained but now the buck is being passed to them.”
Sangma averred, stating that only much later were MLAs called in as chairpersons of their respective constituencies when this should have been done in the beginning.
Speaking as a doctor, Sangma said to combat any pandemic the rule is – communicate-communicate communicate. Many people still are not aware as to why they had to close their shops and observe other protocols. He said that COVID-19 is a virus that presents clinical surprises. “All cases are not same and symptoms are typical and atypical,” Sangma added.
The former CM also said the government should take stock of hospital beds available even as cases are increasing – because hospitals must cater not only to COVID cases but to critical non-COVID cases too where patients don’t know where to go.
Stating that information is not being disseminated to the level of the people, Sangma said information filters down from the Secretariat to the directorates the districts and sub-divisions but does not reach the people. After COVID, even newspapers don’t reach the people he said.
“Transparency is crucial because the fight is collective and requires diverse application of strategy. We have to anticipate bigger challenges because the virus is not going away soon. Do we have enough oxygen cylinders? Most hospitals are now going empty. Today hospitals have facilities for in-house production of oxygen on a small scale. Are we doing this?” Sangma questioned.
Sangma also stated that the government must ensure that frontline workers (doctors, nurses etc.) are motivated and that they should not feel that the government is not responding to their concerns.
Expressing concern about price rise which is affecting the poorest the most Sangma said, “This is the time to minimise spending and the government has to ensure that essential commodities reach those that need them the most.”
“Irrespective of what the scientific community says, we are fighting a highly infectious virus whose origin is debated. Vaccines for so many diseases are not yet found. And COVID-19 is a mutated strain. My own feeling is that Vande Bharat flights brought back Indians stranded abroad also brought in more lethal strains which have reached Delhi and other metros; hence the resurgence. Earlier the strain was more stable, now it is more virulent and presents lethal manifestations,” Sangma concluded.