Patna: On being questioned as to what is more important – power politics or human life – everybody may opt for the second, but not the Nitish Kumar Government of Bihar as medical doctors have been drafted on election duties though the COVID-19 is crawling dangerously in the state. As the total number of COVID-19 cases have crossed the 1,23,383 figure with 24,318 active cases and over 620 deaths, the state government’s decision to depute doctors and other paramedical personnel for the forthcoming assembly poll duties have raised eyebrows.
According to a spokesperson of the Bihar chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the deputation of medical doctors and paramedical staff will result in the crumbling of the anti-Corona Virus fight in the state. Besides, over 250 doctors have already been tested + for COVID-19 while 23 of them have died.
The IMA-Bihar spokesperson said the drafting of doctors and paramedical staff for the Legislative Assembly polls slated for October-November this year might see the medical system collapsing totally.
Besides, the disease may spread to other states due to the migration of workers to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and other states: practically all over India. The highest risks of COVID-19 spread, however, are West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh that share a border with Bihar.
The doctors are currently carrying out anti-COVID-19 operations even though their safety is not being ensured by the Nitish Kumar Government. They are not being provided with PPE Kits like their counterparts in other states resulting in their high mortality rate.
Opposing the decision of deployment of doctors and paramedics on election duties that is likely to begin in September 2020, the IMA-Bihar is likely to move to the Patna High Court against this decision of the Bihar Government.
This decision of the State Government is really baffling as Bihar is suffering terribly from a shortage of medical personnel during the pendency of COVID-19 – it has a total sanctioned strength of only 16,000 government doctors of which only about 7,000 are currently handling the Corona Virus pandemic.
Over and above, only 2,000 of the total sanctioned posts of 4,000 doctors are currently working in medical colleges. What is most alarming, Bihar accounts for a hefty 4.42% of the total death of doctors due to COVID-19 infection against the national average of 0.5%.
The apprehensions of more deaths of senior doctors is looming large in Bihar as the Nitish Government continues to put those medical practitioners on hospital duty including those who are 60 years or above this age despite the strong objection by IMA-Bihar as people of this age group are more prone to contact Corona Virus than their younger counter colleagues. Most of the doctors who died while performing COVID-19 duties in Bihar belong to the age bracket of 50 to 60 years.
The deputation of doctors in poll duties would also endanger the lives of people as about 100,000 samples are being tested daily since August 13, 2020, in Bihar. If the doctors are absent from government hospitals due to poll duties, the patients would not be looked after, and sample testing too could slow down abysmally.
The situation now has come to such a pass that the Bihar Health Services Association (BHSA) has threatened to move the Patna High Court if doctors are not freed from election duties. The BHSA is likely to file a defamation case against the Bihar Government as the Patna High Court earlier had asked the Election Commission not to put doctors on poll duties.
