The Indian Government has a plan to rope in all Public Servants with a medical degree to join the frontline battle against COVID-19.
This could include those in areas other than health, such as the Indian Administrative Service or the police, who have studied medicine sometime in the past.
The Government is believed to have already prepared the database but has not yet put it into operation.
However, with the country’s health service beginning to buckle as positive cases are adding up at a rate of around 10,000 per day, sources say it is more a case of when rather than if.
Likely candidates would be those with medical qualifications in areas such as health infrastructure.
Officials in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said the identified Public Service officers could be deployed to hospitals within days.
Asked if these officers would be directly providing the services of a medical practitioner, the sources said there was no clarity on this.
“Initially the officers could be asked to manage and coordinate affairs in the COVID-19 designated hospitals,” the source said.
The rise of COVID-19 cases in the country has led to an increased pressure on healthcare facilities, which are dealing with a spurt in the demand for beds, ventilators, isolation wards, and oxygen cylinders.
The shortage of manpower is becoming critical.
“The doctors-turned administrators may be pivotal in efficient management at the frontline,” a senior DoPT official said.
New Delhi, 15 June 2020
