Securing frontlines

On February 27, the WHO issued a warning about an impending shortage of medical gear.

On April 4, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on the country’s health authorities to ensure availability of essential medical equipment such as masks, gloves and PPEs (personal protection equipment) for doctors. PM Modi’s directive, at a meeting of the empowered groups constituted for planning and ensuring implementation of COVID-19 response activities, is significant given that concerns about the unavailability of PPEs for doctors have been raised in several quarters. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, for instance, has said that hospitals under the Delhi government are facing a shortage of PPEs. A survey conducted by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances has shone a light on the worries of district collectors and district magistrates about the shortage of medical gear. According to the survey, 47 per cent officers “felt that inadequate availability of PPEs in district/sub-district hospitals is an area of concern”.

On February 27, the WHO issued a warning about an impending shortage of medical gear: “The current global stockpile of PPE is insufficient, particularly for medical masks and respirators; the supply of gowns and goggles is soon expected to be insufficient. Surging global demand — driven not only by the number of COVID-19 cases but also by misinformation, panic buying and stockpiling — will result in further shortages of PPE globally”. But India paid heed to the global health agency’s concern only after it issued another warning in mid-March — on March 19, it prohibited the export of protective gear. India has also ramped up production of PPEs — the DRDO, Bengaluru-based Bharat Electronics and 12 private entrepreneurs are involved in this endeavour. The Centre also plans to import one crore PPE kits by April 10. However, with global competition for medical gear intensifying, pulling off imports may not be an easy task.

“The chronic, global shortage of PPEs is one of the most urgent threats to our collective ability to save lives. The problem cannot be solved without international cooperation,” says the WHO. But in the scramble for medical gear for frontline health workers, the agency’s plea seems to be falling on deaf ears. France and Germany have accused the US of unfair practices — paying far above the market price for masks from the top producer, China, and winning contracts through higher bids even after the European buyers believed that deals had been sealed. The WHO has asked countries to desist from such practices and called “for equitable distribution of medical supplies”. While it continues to bolster its domestic capacity to battle the pandemic, India would do well to add its weight to such voices.