SC-appointed task force holds 1st meeting on oxygen crisis

The 12-member National Task Force set up by the Supreme Court on Sunday held its first meeting to deliberate on delivery of medical oxygen throughout the country in a streamlined manner.

The members of the panel lauded various ministries and departments of the Centre for the significant amount of work done by them in augmenting the oxygen production capacities as well as in ensuring its efficient distribution, sources said.

They also gave specific suggestions for further increasing oxygen production and availability, managing the demand side of medical oxygen, and parameters on which individual health facilities could ensure economy in use of medical oxygen.

The National Task Force members include Bhabatosh Biswas, former vice chancellor of West Bengal University of Health Sciences, Kolkata; Devender Singh Rana, chairperson of Board of Management, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi; Devi Prasad Shetty, chairperson and executive director of Narayana Healthcare in Bengaluru; Gagandeep Kang, professor, Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore in Tamil Nadu, among others.

Besides panel members, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan and Union Secretary (MoRTH) Giridhar Aramane were also present in the meeting, sources said.

Accordingly, VK Paul, member (Health), NITI Aayog; Randeep Guleria, director AIIMS, New Delhi; Balram Bhargava, DG ICMR and Secretary (DHR); and Sunil Kumar, DGHS, Ministry of Health, attended the meeting as special invitees.

According to the directions of the Supreme Court, few experts can be co-opted in the team.

The Supreme Court had constituted the 12-member National Task Force of top medical experts to formulate a methodology for allocation of oxygen to states and Union territories amid several reports of shortage of the life-saving gas in many hospitals.

The panel is also tasked with facilitating a public health response to the coronavirus pandemic. Times Now News