Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Friday, Apr 25, 2003
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Friday, Apr 25, 2003 |
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Health Industry & Economy - Health Govt pens SARS prescription Our Bureau
NEW DELHI, April 24 DESPITE no new reports of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in the country over the last two days — significant decisions were taken today by the Government in an effort to both prevent the entry of SARS into India and control its spread, if a SARS-victim did gain entry into the country. Ms Sushma Swaraj, Union Health Minister, told a packed media-conference here today that airports would be closely watched and passengers "visually screened". States have been asked to supplement medical personnel at the airport premises, if required. Three different types of masks would be handed to the para-medics, officers and workers at the airports, in addition to the medical personnel handling the isolation of SARS-affected patients, she said. Ms Swaraj was briefing the media after a day of SARS-related meetings, including a significant inter-ministerial meeting, the third of its kind. Representatives from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Tourism, Home Affairs and Shipping, were present at the meeting, besides officials from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Giving details on the handing out of masks to personnel at the airports, she said that while the three-layered mask, priced between Rs 3 and Rs 5 would be provided to the workers, the more high-end mask, priced at Rs 80, would be for the para-medics. The cost for these disposable masks would be borne by the Civil Aviation Ministry, she said, unwilling to quantify the amount. A third kind of "special mask", developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and priced at Rs 2,000 would be procured by the Centre to be handed over to the State-level medical personnel treating patients in isolation. Learning from mistakes in the past, State Governments were given specific points of action — including detaining suspected SARS-cases in isolation, till the samples were sent to the designated testing authorities and the results were received. Data on the WHO-definition of SARS, its guidelines on clinical management, patient discharge protocol etc., including the all-important 10-day home quarantine, were also circulated to the State representatives at the meeting of the state health secretaries. She pointed out that international airlines were told to hand out forms to the passengers and brief them that they would be checked on disembarking at the airport. Authorities at the airport were told to make sure that all passengers were screened and their forms collected. Joint action group formed
A Centre-State Joint Action Group, chaired by the Union Health Secretary, has been set up on SARS. The Group would comprise top brass from the Health Ministry and top-bureaucrats from the Civil Aviation Ministry, and Port authorities. States with major international transit points such a Maharashtra, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Nagaland and West Bengal are also represented in the Group, that would meet as and when required. Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said that Dr Mashelkar of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) had conducted an exercise with three of its institutes, the Department of Bio-Technology and the ICMR.
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