Mumbai: Four days after the new government in Maharashtra came into force, the state paediatric Covid-19 taskforce members resigned on ethical grounds. The team of ten members was headed by senior paediatrician Dr Suhas Prabhu and was formed in May 2021, to prepare for a possible rise in paediatric cases in the anticipated third wave of Covid-19.
Dr Prabhu, chairman of the taskforce, said it was an advisory and not a statutory body. “Ethically, we thought it was the right thing to resign. The previous government thought it (paediatric taskforce) was required. We don’t know about the new government and we can’t presume,” he said.
The resignation was sent to Saurabh Vijay, secretary, medical education, said Dr Prabhu.
He further said they will wait for directives from the new government. “If they ask us to continue, we will. For now, we haven’t heard from them yet,” said Dr Prabhu.
Since the surge in cases in June, the paediatric taskforce members have been meeting every Tuesday.
“Cases are subsiding. So far, cases in children have been milder but poor vaccination numbers have been a concern. This is what we discussed in our last Tuesday meeting,” said a member of the paediatric Covid-19 taskforce.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is currently struggling to convince parents to vaccinate their children. It had earlier kept June 30 as the deadline to jab eligible children in municipal schools via vaccination camps. However, according to the civic body, 57.56% have taken their first dose in the 12-15 age group and 58% in the 15-18 age group. The data also said 31.60% have taken a second dose in 12-15 and 48% in 15-18. BMC has also asked private schools to provide details on the same.
Since its constitution, the taskforce members had formulated guidelines, recommendations and training modules to treat Covid-19 in paediatric population and identify post Covid-19 complications like multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a condition where lungs, kidneys and the heart can become inflamed and may turn into a life-threatening condition. They also played a key role in drafting guidelines for the safe reopening of schools after it was shut for nearly two years owing to the outbreak of the pandemic.
“The 9pm-11pm weekly meeting used to be attended by the health officials. We used to review the Covid-19 situation and give our recommendations,” said another paediatric Covid taskforce member.
The member said the emphasis in last Tuesday’s meeting was to undertake vaccinations at the school level. “We have been discussing poor vaccination numbers in the state and Mumbai. Similar to the measles-rubella vaccine campaign, we recommended Covid-19 vaccination campaigns in schools. Only then will it be a success,” he said.
Meanwhile, the adult state taskforce has decided to wait and watch. “We will wait for directions from the government,” said Dr Vasant Nagvekar, infectious disease expert and state Covid-19 task force member.
The adult state Covid-19 taskforce continued with their weekly Monday meeting on July 4.
The directorate of medical education and research (DMER), and the secretary of medical education said they were unaware of the resignation email.
However, Dr TP Lahane, former DMER director, who represents the government in the paediatric Covid-19 taskforce meeting, said it is not a resignation but seeking opinion. “They have written to the government asking what needs to be done now, the future course of action,” he said.