Supreme Court sets up 12-member panel to monitor oxygen allocation amid COVID-19 surge

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Saturday (May 8, 2021) set up a National Task Force which is able to assess the supply and distribution of medical oxygen throughout the nation.

On Friday, the highest courtroom had ordered the setting up of the duty power after calling for a revamp of the Centre’s allocation of oxygen to completely different states. The 12-member panel has been named by the highest courtroom.

Supreme Court bench, headed by Justice DY Chandrachud, in its order, constituted a National Task Force (NTF) to assess, suggest the necessity and distribution of oxygen for your entire nation. pic.twitter.com/Bw0VSSHRgE

— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2021

The job power led by Dr Bhabatosh Biswas, the previous Vice Chancellor of the West Bengal University of Health Sciences, will even recommend measures to guarantee equally rational and equitable availability of medicines wanted to deal with COVID-19.

The panel will present inputs, primarily based on members’ scientific and specialised information, to meet others challenges to have been raised by the pandemic.

The Secretary of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is among the many 12 members whereas the Convenor of the National Task Force would be the Cabinet Secretary to the Centre.

Other members embody main medical doctors from Delhi hospitals, Vellore’s Christian Medical College, Bengaluru’s Narayana Healthcare and Mumbai’s Fortis Hospital.

Here’s the checklist of 12-panel members: 

1. Dr Bhabatosh Biswas, former Vice-Chancellor, West Bengal University of Health Sciences, Kolkata
2. Dr Devender Singh Rana, Chairperson, Board of Management, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi
3. Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairperson and Executive Director, Narayana Healthcare, Bengaluru
4. Dr Gagandeep Kang, Professor, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu
5. Dr JV Peter, Director, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu
6. Dr Naresh Trehan, Chairperson and Managing Director, Medanta Hospital and Heart Institute, Gurugram
7. Dr Rahul Pandit, Director, Critical Care Medicine and ICU, Fortis Hospital, Mulund (Mumbai, Maharashtra) and Kalyan (Maharashtra)
8. Dr Saumitra Rawat, Chairman and Head, Department of Surgical Gastroenterology and Liver Transplant, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi
9. Dr Shiv Kumar Sarin, Senior Professor and Head of Department of Hepatology, Director, Institute of Liver and Biliary Science (ILBS), Delhi
10. Dr Zarir F Udwadia, Consultant Chest Physician, Hinduja Hospital, Breach Candy Hospital and Parsee General Hospital, Mumbai
11. Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India (ex officio member); and
12. The Convenor of the National Task Force, who shall even be a member, would be the Cabinet Secretary to the Union Government. The Cabinet Secretary could nominate an officer not beneath the rank of Additional Secretary to depute for him, when essential.

Meanwhile, India reported over 4.01 lakh (4,01,078) contemporary COVID-19 circumstances and 4,187 individuals succumbed to the lethal an infection within the final 24 hours, the best variety of fatalities in a single day, as per the Union Health Ministry knowledge on Saturday (May 8). The complete caseload surpassed the two.18-lakh mark (2,18,92,676), whereas the dying rely climbed to 2,38,270.